[Nmap] Smithers Snow Obs

[sean fraser]

Hi Folks...here are some obs for the Smithers area from the last 3 days.
 
Skied in the Babines and in the Rocher de Boule Range up Corya Ck.
 
WX: Cold, Clear and Calm. The only real winds I felt were on Monday with the advancing arctic air, otherwise calm.
       Temps have been cool, -10 all days at noon.
 
Avalanches: Nothing of significance from the Nov 30 event. Somewhat surprising. I only observed 2 slabs out of a steep, smooth rockslab. Of note, there was widespread pinwheeling, and loose PR on all aspects. There is an abundance of death cookies out to watch for when they get buried.
 
Snowpack: Rained to ridgetops, at least to 2000m where I was. This has formed a 3cm CR,(081130) that is breakable and surprisingly skiable. There was also 5-10cm of HST at the end of the storm in the Alp, that is patchy and blown into ssl up to 20cm thick in spots. SH is now growing all elevations on the CR or HST. Thicker BTL to 10mm, and small feathers to 3mm in Alp. FC'ing above and below the CR also. The surface roughness from all the frozen pinwheels may help make the SH less uniform?
 
Skiing today was actually not bad in the HST if you could avoid the frozen death cookies. Skied some steep couloirs.Sc giving nothing.
Stability today G/G/VG
 
See ya!
Sean FraserACMG Ski GuideCAA Professional Member/ Avalanche ConsultantSmithers, BC250-847-5537
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