Low vis in Smoker's Bowl

Quick report

SplitNick · Jan 8, 2023 · Kakwa

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Quick report

Weather
cloudy, foggy
Ride Type
denseTrees, mellowSlopes, openTrees
Stayed Away
convexSlopes
Riding Quality
Good
Snow Conditions
powder, windAffected

Got a little turned around with the poor vis in Smoker's bowl. Skinned from black forest parking lot on 20-30cm new snow on a crust. Rode into smoker's and ended up coming back up the same way in the fog to ride the ridge back to trees/inbounds. Ridge winds moderate and significant wind affect on ridgeline and lee features. Our ski cuts didn't cause any slides, but the top layer of new snow is already wind slabbing/consolidating in the bowl and things are pretty crusty on the ridge, with a few rocks exposed above the treeline. Tree-protected areas still have great riding on the new layer and offer safer riding due to visibility.

Snowpack

Rode 20-30cm new snow on top of a crust.

2 photos