What to do when the resort is closed

Quick report

Weather

cold, sunny

Ride Type

alpineSlopes, convexSlopes, denseTrees, mellowSlopes, openTrees, sunnySlopes

Stayed Away

steepSlopes

Riding Quality

good

Snow Conditions

crusty, powder, windAffected

We came to Rossland as part of a long-planned Kootenay ski trip. But sadly, Red Resort doesn't even have an opening day announced. Good thing we brought the touring setup. We went up to the Plewman trail to Saddleback, a 2,150m bump just south of Mt Plewman. We didn't continue to the peak because everything beyond our point looked very wind affected, including the SE bowl of Plewman. Coverage in the bowl was also thin, with rocks sticking out in many places (ideal start zones). Earlier, we had dug a pit to ground, roughly 120cm deep. There is a thick, supportive crust 70-85 cm down. Underneath, loose and weak snow. At the ridge top, snow was wind affected but our run back down to the trail was superb powder. The return to the car was classic survival skiing on a steep, narrow, and crusty trail.

Weather

Wind Speed

windSpeedLight

Blowing Snow

light

Sky Condition

clear

Wind Direction

E

Temperature Trend

steady

Precipitation Type

none

Snowpack

Depth

120

Obs Type

point

Site Aspect

E

Test Fracture

resistant

Site Elevation

2100

Ski Penetration

10

Test Initiation

hard

Foot Penetration

40

Site Elevation Band

alp

Surface Conditions

variable