Great corn skiing this morning

I found great corn skiing on the NE Face of Mt Begbie this morning at 9:30am.

Travel conditions:
I walked up the Begbie trail in hiking boots to 1500m and I was able to skin from there. On the way back down I managed to ski to 1340m with a few dirt patches to cross. There was a weak freeze at 1400m, though not sinking in more than a couple of cm's. At tree-line and in the alpine there was a good freeze requiring ski crampons and boot crampons.

Avalanche problems:
There were no avalanche concerns early this morning, but I imagine loose wet and wet slabs will be a concern later when it warms up. It was already becoming isothermal in shallow rocky areas on the way down.

Glacier conditions:
A few sags were visible on the lower half of the Begbie Glacier. The bergschrund below the East Col is visible and open on the far climbers right. A faint bergschrund sag was visible in the centre of the slope from a distance, although it was subtle enough that I couldn't see where it was when I crossed it.

Cornice:
There is a large cornice on the summit of Mt Begbie overhanging the East Face. It looks like it's been trying to fall down the mountain for a while and is cracked.

The peaks in the Gold Range looked like they would have amazing corn with good timing.

Photos attached.

Alex Geary
ACMG Mountain Guide