Wheaton explorations

Quick report

Weather

cloudy, cold

Ride Type

openTrees, mellowSlopes

Stayed Away

alpineSlopes, steepSlopes

Riding Quality

good

Snow Conditions

powder

Found some good, north-northeast facing slopes with reasonably spaced trees in the Wheaton Valley. At and below treeline, it was excellent powder skiing with a fairly consistent snowpack that was unaffected by wind, and between 1-1.5m thick. A crust maybe ~20cm down is more evident at lower elevations. Above treeline, snow surface was still relatively pristine, but the snowpack underneath became more variable with some areas having exhibited loading, windslab and/or scouring. Spotted evidence of older size 1 & 2 slides in the area, likely from that last big storm (debris in gullys, and old crown lines). Lots of sled traffic in the Wheaton, but lots of space to explore and find quiet skiing too.