We ended up in Portobellos again, partly because it’s so close and partly because I’m hooked on their breakfast wraps. We’ve discovered you can get 10% off with a season pass which is pretty cool although I wish I’d known earlier!

The Plan

The plan for day two was to execute the route we’d planned the previous evening. We met up with the rest of the group in Pika’s to discuss the most recent avalanche and weather forecasts. The warming was continuing and it was set to hit 12C in the alpine (crazy, it’s meant to be January not June). We decided our major concerns were

• Cornices
• Possibly limited options to travel if the ridge is narrow

Digging The Pit

We dug a snow pit at the base of Harmony, this was fascinating since I’d built up a picture in my head of the layers from reading the avalanche reports. I was pleased to see that my mental picture wasn’t that far off. The hoar frost on the surface of the snow was incredible, we’d heard reports of rystals the size of your palm in Rogers Pass.

We dug a large pit in a representative spot for the slope we were planning to ride later that day. After several minutes rapid digging (it was cold!) we’d gug a pit about 3 metres wide and down to the ground. 

We could begin to clearly see the distinct layers from the various storms so far this season once we’d smoothed the pit wall.

Recording Snowpack Information

The layers were then marked with wooden sticks (acquired from your favourite vendor of overpriced coffee). We then began to measure the temperature at 10cm intervals moving further and further down the snowpack, this allows us to determing the Temperature Gradient of the snowpack.

Temperature gradient is a critical factor in how the snow changes over time. If you see more than 1 degree C difference over 10cm this means that the layer of snow is likely to facet (get weaker), if there is less than a 1 degree difference the snow is likely to strengthen. Annoyingly snow gets weaker faster than it gets stronger. You can get books from MEC (made out of waterproof paper) for recording all the information about the snowpack.

 While we were measuring the snow pack temperature (you need to wait a minute or two while the thermometer adjusts to the correct temperature) we began our stability tests.

Stability Tests

 Stability tests are a way to test how likely a particular layer is to fail.  The first test we did was the Shovel Shear Test which is a good way to find a weak layer but it tells you little about how strong the layer is. Better tests for determining strength are the Compression Test and the Extended Column Test which we did next. It was incredible to see just how cohesive the slab was, you could even pick it up without it falling apart. It was also surprisingly heavy!  

It was unnerving to see how easily some of the layers failed this was fairly consistent with the avalanche forecast but it’s somehow much more real when you see it with your own eyes. Once we’d finished in the pit  we continued on our journey…

Executing the Plan

Both of these turned out to be non-issues for the route we were traveling since the ridge was wide and well tree covered and the cornices didn’t start until much further up. We headed out to the base of Harmony via Marmot and then set out up the access road to the base of Symphony (I’d never even noticed this before, I must ride around with my eyes shut). This wouldn’t be the normal route we’d take to Lesser Flute but Whistler Blackcomb had restricted anybody from being in the closed area of their tenure due to the avalanche risk. So up the ridge we trudged, the route was very different to how I’d pictured it in my head. It was pretty easy going but it was very warm. The lower slopes were pretty crusty but as we reached the upper slopes the snow quality improved markedly.  Once we’d left the trees you could start to see the extent of the avalanches everywhere you look. There were big wet looking slides on the South facing side of Harmony Ridge and some huge slab avalanches over on Oboe, you could even see the crown line of the slide that pushed the groomer off Pika’s.

The Pit 2

When we reached the summit of Lesser Flute we leapt into action to dig a second pit. This time we did a Rutschblock Test. It was interesting to see that this time we couldn’t get any layers to fail. We put this down to the temperature inversion affecting the snowpack more at higher altitudes. It was good to see that the weak layers were strengthening.

The Ride Down

Since the snow in the trees on the way up was so sketchy we decided to ride down the run (Ridge Runner) which I’d never been on before (for fairly obvious reasons if you check out the trail map).  We rode down as a group but with sensible spacing. The top two thirds of the run had some nice turns in it, certainly better than anything we’d had in resort for some time. Probably not quite worth the walk up in the general scheme of things but given the shocking conditions recently it was fun!  I think we’re getting better at the whole group management thing. It was interesting to see how much easier it is to pick a safe route down than a good route up. I guess we all have far more experience picking down routes.

Another excellent and informative day was had by all, I finished the day tireed but looking forward to the next two days

Avalanche Skills Training 2

We were up early, partly because we’re always up early but we also had a lot of equipment to get together for the start of our AST II course. Once we’d gathered ourselves and our equipment we headed off to Portobello’s to get some breakfast (excellent breakfast wraps)and a large coffee.

After we’d fuelled ourselves up for the day we set off for the Chamber of Commerce (above the Tourist Information Centre) where our course was to kick off with some theory

Classroom

Our group consists of 6 students (us, Tim & Brigitte, Chris from WAGB, and Melissa) and the instructor from WAGB. After introductions and a few technical hitches the course started with a fast paced review of AST I with slightly more focus on group dynamics (F.A.C.E.T.S.), terrain evaluation and route finding than I remember from our first course. We’ve been given a copy of Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain by Bruce Tremper which looks like a comprehensive and interesting read.

Harmony Base

After dropping our textbooks and assorted other kit off at the Hilton (location for the evening class) we set off up the hill. After our first experience of trailhead procedures (essentially checking essential equipment and that everybody understands and is happy with the plan) we set off down GS towards the base of Harmony. Whistler had finally decided it was safe enough to open Harmony and given it was around 12pm everything was totally tracked out. It’s a shame we missed it but this course should put us in a good place for many years of frenzy free powder.

Transceiver Practice

We split into two groups of 3 for transceiver practice. Everybody was pretty quick, even when Brigitte tried an analogue search with her shiny new transceiver. Trees were causing a little confusion but making the practice much more realistic. I was pleased with my fine search but I need to make sure I don’t rush the search.

Transceiver Variations

It was interesting to see the different ranges we each managed (2-3 generations of DTS Trackers and a Mammut Pulse). I was concerned to see how easy it was to get my transceiver to lose the signal by rotating the transceiver we were searching for. I think I’ll upgrade before next winter. I hear BCA have a new version of the Tracker coming out.

Uphill

After we finished practicing we switched to uphill mode and went for a short walk through the trees up the lower part of Harmony Ridge. We switched leads several times and picked a winding route staying on terrain with an angle less than 30 degrees. The snow quality was incredibly variable. In the smaller trees the snow was light, dry and fluffy but in the larger trees the snow was crusty and wet, apparently the trees absorb heat from the sun and then re-radiate it back to the snow. By now the light was starting to fade and we had more classroom work to do!

Back to the classroom

We split into groups again and planned routes up Harmony Ridge (to Lesser Flute) and a route in the Duffey Lake area. The Lesser Flute trip was planned for the following day so we discussed this in some length including possible hazards and any route finding issues that could cause problems.

We also talked about where we can source weather and avalanche information (most of which I have covered already in Let it Snow! and Avalanches & Avalanche Safety)

I’d totally forgotten that the CAC have a trip planner that uses the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES) and the current avalanche report to help you plan trips. Apparently John Baldwin (author of Exploring the Coast Mountains on Skis: A Guidebook to Mountain Ski Touring in Southwestern British Columbia) is writing a new book including ATES ratings.

We finished up at around 7pm and went to Dups Burritos to get some food and a beer before we collapsed into bed. Dups is great for quick, tasty and relatively healthy food. It was also a good refuge from the hundreds of drunk American teenagers wandering up and down the Stroll and filling the bars. (It was Martin Luther King Day – a long weekend for the US.)

Day 1

8:30 am  Theory 

•   Introductions, waiver signing,  AST 1 Review,  Leadership in Avalanche Terrain,  Companion Rescue

11:45 am Field trip 1

• Trailhead procedures,  Group management and Travel Techniques,  Companion rescue

4:30 pm - 7pm Theory

•   Decision-Making Support System,   Terrain Exceptions,  Local Terrain Verification,  Route Planning

Day 2

8:00 am   Field Trip 2

•   Avalanche terrain,  Route finding,   Terrain Verification

4:00 pm  – 6pm Theory 

•   Post Trip Review,  Understanding Avalanche Forecast,  Avalanche Danger Exception,  Local Avalanche Danger Verification

Day 3

8:00 am    Field Trip 3

•   Investigating Avalanche Activity, Signs of Unstable Snow, Loading, Thaw Instability,  Local Snowpack Observations,  Personal, Local Avalanche Danger Verification,  Route Finding Options and Alternatives

5:00 pm  - 7pm Theory

•   Local Avalanche Danger Verification,  Confidence and Decision-making,  trip planning

Day 4

8:00 am   Field Trip 4

•   Student led trips,  Incorporating all skills and techniques, especially local, personal verification of avalanche danger and terrain.  

On a related note there was another fatal avalanche in Canmore which I think puts the total toll in Canada to 13/14 and 24/25 in North America as a whole.

I’m intrigued to find out what/when and where we’re going to do our AST 2 course this weekend. I can only imagine it’ll involve some nice mellow slopes away from any steep convexities. I’ll post about the course after the weekend. I’m really looking forward to getting out there and learning some more

The Pique’s coverage

Avalanche Size Decriptions

“I have heard some avalanche professionals say that conditions are “getting pretty scary” and they are tiptoeing around and avoiding avalanche terrain altogether. This is very good advice” – CAC Bulletin (31st Dec 2008)

Although most/all of this information is available elsewhere I figure it can’t hurt to collate some of it.

First some caveats.

1. I’m still learning all this stuff too, I’m not an avalanche professional I’m just hoping somebody might read this and think twice about what they are planning.
2. This post is fairly Whistler, BC focused since that’s where I ride most. A quick google should find similar information for your favourite location.

Common Sense

Unfortunately common sense seems to be anything but common.

• Whistler (and most/all other resorts) have a team of professionals looking after you. If you see these signs or smilar turn around! (Whistler Signage)

  

• Most resorts will have the avalanche bulletins posted at typical resort exit points. Read them and take the advice! At Whistler look in the following places :-
  • Top of Harmony lift
  • Top of Symphony Lift
  • Top of Peak Lift
• Don’t leave the resort boundary alone, if you’re alone who is going to rescue you?
• Make sure you leave a trip plan with someone so they know where to look for you if you don’t make it home
• Have the resort’s emergency phone numbers in your cell (mobile) phone but be aware coverage may be limited/non-existent
• Read the avalanche & weather forecasts/bulletins daily (if you ride a lot)
• If you’re uncertain don’t do it, live to ride another day
• Practice! A course 5 years ago doesn’t mean you’ll be able to find and dig out your friends quicly and efficiently
• Take a course, read everything you can about snow/backcountry safety

Education

• Avalanche Danger Scale
• Whistler Alpine Guides - Excellent Avalanche Courses
• List of CAC approved Courses
• Whistler Avalanche Awareness tours - A free avalanche awareness tour, the very least you should do

Equipment

Everybody in your party must have at least the following

• Avalanche transceiver/beacon (Recco does not count, you’ll be long dead before the authorities find you but your friends can find you with transceivers)
• Shovel (preferably metal bladed)
• Probe (at least 2m long)
• Food/water
• Basic first aid kit (most if not all of you should carry this)
• Map & Compass (GPS is handy too but don’t rely on it)
• Cell phone is potentially really useful but again you can’t rely on being able to call help

Other useful equipment

• Tent/tarp for shelter
• Good knife (not a pocket/pen knife)
• Simple wood saw
• Head torch (they are so small and light why would you not carry one)
• Repair kit (duct tape, zip ties, jubilee clips, cord etc.)

And last but certainly not least everybody in your party needs the knowledge and experience to use all this equipment

Whistler Weather

• Whistler/Blackcomb Weather Forecast
• Whistler Snow Forecast (mid station)
• Weather Network Ski  Report
• Whistler Webcams

Avalanche Incidents

• South Coast Avalanche Forum
• South Coast Avalanche Incidents (RSS) - Very handy way to keep on top of what’s going on. If you don’t know what RSS is take a look at Google Reader and subscribe to my blog while youre at it! 

Avalanche Forecasts (BC Lower mainland)

• South Coast Avalanche Forecast (includes Duffy Lake Road, Whistler etc.)
• North Shore Avalanche Forecast (Grouse, Cypress, Seymour etc.)
• Whistler Avalanche Forecast - Often similar to the South Coast forecast but more Whistler specific, read them both
• Mountain Condition Report from the ACMG

I strongly advise you to get CAC to email you their reports

Miscellaneous

• North Shore Search and Rescue
• Whistler Search and Rescue (SAR) - This is a good but infrequently updated blog by the Whistler SAR, read everything they have written.

After a soggy and warm November December started off dry and (really, really) cold. Whistler has been seeing temperatures in the minus 20-25C range. This might not seem to bad to those used to the dry air of the French Alps but here in our ‘moist’ Pacific air it’s brutally cold. Normally I’d welcome colder air (maybe not quite this coldd though) but the Arctic Outflow pushed the normal storm track further South than normal. The upshot of this is that Vanouver got 50cm of cold dry powder and Whistler got virtually nothing.

There are upsides and downsides to this weather pattern.

Upsides

• Snow in Vancouver means we can build snowmen on the beach near our house (see our Flickr Stream for more, we had lots of fun on Xmas day!)
• The snow that did fall in Whistler was beautifully fluffy and dry, being so near the coast Whistler suffers (and benefits) from milder temperatures than the inland resorts, this tends to lead to lots of heavy wet and stable snow rather than small amounts of unconsolidated dry snow
• Not much of the mountain is open yet (Harmony, Symphony and Peak chairs are still shut) this means you don’t have to walk far to get to the ‘back country’ and a fair amount of roped off (out of bounds) terrain is very rideable (be warned there are lots of thin patches)

Downsides

• The snowpack is really weird at the moment, we have heavy compressed snow on top of loose unconsolidated snow. This has made the avalanche risk very high (no real powder missions for us )
• Getting around has been difficult to say the least. I’ve had to both dig our car out and then dig a parking space for it when we got home
• Not much of the mountain is open yet (Harmony, Symphony and Peak chairs are still shut) this means that the available slopes are pretty busy

Having said all this we’ve had a fair few powder turns and a couple of good days. Most memorably we hiked up Harmony Ridge last Saturday and had sweet mellow powder turns back down the ridge. We took a look at Kaleidoscope (again) but given the Avy risk (4-High) we opted for the conservative choice and rode back down the ridge which had 30cm+ of fresh snow on top of what looked like snow that had been groomed a few days before.
Looking at the forecast for the next week over 1.25m of snow is forecast so it looks like the normal storm pattern has been re-established and the snow is starting to melt in Vancouver so I have high hopes for an excellent January and Febuary.

• Be careful out there, remember to check the Avalanche reports before you head out of bounds or into the backcountry.
• Pay attention to posted signs and watch out for patrol performing avalanche control.
• Drive safe, we’ve seen 5 cars in the ditch (one upside down) over the last couple of weeks

Weather and Snow

Compared to last year the season opened pretty poorly, in 07/08 Whistler opened on November 17th (5 days early) with 1metre of snow and a whole load of powder, this year Whistler opened a single day early (pretty sure this was solely so they don’t break their 6 year record) with 50cm of snow. It’s been way too warm (and dry) this November.  The snow was pretty slushy, it felt much more like a spring day (in fact if it had been April it would have been a great day). Snow cover was pretty poor with rocks and grass poking out on the lower slopes.

Crowds

Wow, US Thanksgiving sure brings out the crowds! There were way too many people crammed into way too few runs. Realistically there were only 4-5 runs opened and there was a hectic mix of beginners and people who weren’t as good as they thought they were.

Saturday

We spent an embarrasingly short day fighting with the crowds and avoiding being taken out (or taking out) anybody around us. On the upside it was great to be back on a board enjoying the mountain air. It was raining lightly most of the day so even after a few hours we were pretty soaked. We headed home and I cooked souffle, roast potatoes, roast tomatoes and an apple and strawberry crumble.

Sunday

Time to escape the crowds!!! Ruth opted for an easy day of DVDs and the sofa while we scraped split-boards and dug out transcievers and shovels. Heading out it looked pretty grim, low cloud and rain filled the valley, it wasn’t looking promising. Luckily the cloud layer was pretty thin and after 200m or so we popped out the top into a reasonably nice day.

After a brief discussion about where to head

• Peak via Highway 86
• Harmony via Pika’s Traverse

we decided on Harmony because we figured Peak is long way up Highway 86 and anything off Highway 86 would be too thin. The skin up Harmony was pleasant, we’d all set off with the attitude that even if we just ended up with a nice walk it’d still be a good day, and fairly short, maybe an hour including switching to touring mode. We were all feeling out of shape and all of us had new unfamiliar gear to try out so we probably made a bit more of a meal of it than it really was, we also weren’t in any hurry.

The view from the ridge was superb, the few photos I took didn’t really capture the feeling of being out in the mountains, away from the crowds and enjoying the view. The ridge rolls rather a lot so we had some amusing “skiing” pitches where we were too lazy to switch back to board mode. I haven’t skiied for 15 years or more so it was a peculiar sensation skiing in soft boots with free heels and skins on. I managed to only end up in a heap once so I was quite proud of myself, luckily there was no photgraphic evidence!

We avoided the horseshoes which all looked pretty gnarly and rock strewn for this time of year and had a look at McConkeys, this looked feasible if we’d all been riding for 2 months (there were a LOT of rocks) but since we were all on unfamilair gear we made the cautious choice and headed a little further down the ridge to what I think was probably Kaleidoscope (weird how different everything looks with thin snow).

I actually had a few good turns! It’s true the snow was a little on the porridgey side but it’s hard to complain in November. Certainly the best riding so far this season The pitch down Harmony run was also really good (everything is relative) and we ended up just above the lift with pretty big grins! These soon faded about 3 turns down the steeper slope above the lift as we cut through the snow to rocks and grass with each turn. We ended up walking down most of this to avoid destroying our boards. The run out down Sidewinder was predictably dull and flat (I needed to use my poles, must rewax my board!)

All in all though a pretty good weekend, not as good as last year but much better than sitting in Vancouver in front of the TV. Looking forward to the next trip (tonight!!!) We also had truely stunning views all the way home!

Ignition II bindings

After a few splitboard outings last year bemoaning the incredible weight of my splitboard setup (Prior Khyber 166) I decided to give the Spark Ignition II Bindings a try.

First Thoughts

My initial impressions were mixed (and still are to some extent) although mainly positive.

Good Stuff

• The bindings are incredibly light and they seem very well designed. When setup my Khyber 166 is much lighter than Ruth’s Prior Backcountry 154
• The tolerances with the Voile system were very tight and the bindings slide on and off the pucks very easily.
• I like the pin system better than the Voile system, the pins are thicker and it seems like there is less chance of them unhooking
• The binding straps are pretty comfy

Not so Good Stuff

• The binding highback is very soft, you can pretty much bend it in half with your hands.
• Very expensive, especially once shipping/taxes etc are taken into account
• The binding is too wide for small feet although I hear narrower versions may be coming

First Trip

Whistler Backcountry (kinda)

It’s really noticeable how much lighter my board feels when carrying it, it feels more like a heavy snowboard (think 5-6 years ago) than a splitboard. Riding the board on the trails it feels stiffer and more like riding a snowboard, I couldn’t feel the inner edges at all. It felt like I could have been riding a non-split Khyber. Interestingly I couldn’t really feel the fact the highbacks are so soft. I’m looking forward to trying it out on something steeper to see if this makes a difference

Switching the board into touring mode was quick and painless (if you ignore the effort taken to pull the skins apart), I might try moving the pins to the other side of my bindings, they are currently on the strap side and the pins get caught in the toe strap. The “skis” feel much lighter on my feet even over the relatively short distance we travelled (up Pika’s Traverse to Harmony ridge in Whistler).

Switching back to board mode was equally painless. I’m hoping to get out for a longer trip as soon as the snow starts falling again!