Brew

Quick report

kenyonslaneym · Dec 18, 2023 · Harrison-Fraser

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Quick report

Weather
warm, cloudy, sunny
Ride Type
alpineSlopes, mellowSlopes, openTrees, steepSlopes, sunnySlopes
Stayed Away
convexSlopes
Riding Quality
ok
Snow Conditions
crusty

Spent 3 days wandering around the Brew Hut area. We skied across the immediate Brew zone, as well as Brandywine couloir and a stroll over to Cypress N2. Conditions didn’t change much during our trip. We found crusts of varying thicknesses at all aspects and elevations, overlying ~20cm unconsolidated powder. The surface crust was mostly thin enough to ski well. We saw no signs of instability at any stage. Coverage was surprisingly adequate above 1500m, and we probed 100-140cm on average at TL and above. The approach and exit was grim. 30+ water bar crossings on the road, and adventure skinning through patchy coverage and heavy, sticky snow. Globstopper mandatory. Overall, a fun weekend which left us optimistic about conditions higher up.

Snowpack

Depth
140
Obs Type
point
Site Aspect
W
Test Fracture
sudden
Site Elevation
1710
Test Initiation
moderate
Test Failure Depth
40
Site Elevation Band
tln
Surface Conditions
crust
Test Failure Layer Crystal Types
surfaceHoar

16/12/23 W aspect @ 1710m, sheltered treeline clearing. HS 140 1 CTM20 SP Down 40. CTH25 RP Down 60. 2 CTM12 SP Down 40. CTH22 RP Down 70. 3 ECTX Reactive layers appeared to be decomposing SH on a thick MFC