Cornice/Buzz

Weather

jake.foster12 · Jan 5, 2020 · Kootenay Pass

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Quick report

Weather
cold, cloudy
Ride Type
mellowSlopes, convexSlopes, steepSlopes, openTrees
Riding Quality
Good
Snow Conditions
powder
Avalanche Conditions
avalancheConditionSlab

We skied a few lines off of Cornice Ridge and Buzz Ridge, The thin rain crust is evident on all aspects and elevations, exposed in windward terrain at ridgetop, but buried ~20 on the NE-SE windloaded aspects we skied. It skied more like pow than dust on crust. Noticed a small size 1 windslab at ridgetop on a NE aspect under a cornice, maybe 5m wide x 20cm deep. In a pit on Cornice Ridge, NE asp at 2030m. We found surface hoar down 45 and 75cm (HS 190cm). We did an ECT, which propogated across the surface hoar down 45 on a moderate tap, and duplicated on a second test. No results from ski cutting the slope, and no instabilities noticed during skiing. We dropped a small fridge sized cornice on the slope under Buzz Ridge, which produced nothing. All in all good skiing. Pretty busy back there.

Snowpack

Pit on Cornice Ridge. NE ASP, 2030m. HS 190. ECTP 14 and 15, down 45 on SH 3. SH looks to be decomposing (rounded edges). 1F rounds above and below.