Mar 13/13 - Report from Limestone

Howdy, it was +7 today and sunny - roads looked like July driving. Its +2 tonight but our slushy yard has firmed up a bit and is crusty again. Forecast is for flurry snow tomorrow turning to rain in the afternoon. Temps are supposed to stay in that +6 range except for Monday when it drops to +4 and is supposed to snow 10-20cms. Our guests (one group out of three came), went down the Flathead today and up into Barnes Meadow. The meadow was set up a bit and they played in there for a while. They then went up the drainage which showed no signs of sliding, sluffing or pinwheeling and rode conservatively up in the Limestone saddle in 20-30cms of snow with no tracks. They said the snow was notably drier up there and they had a good time. They are headed to Rolling Hills tomorrow. The rain in the forecast is supposed to be below that 1600-1800m mark or 5500-6500ft which is typical for this area. That is why there is a stern warning for the trees as the snow is getting soaked which is putting pressure on weak buried layers. Cornices are heavy and when they fall and trigger slides, that snow comes down and engages the wet snow and triggers that too. Joe Trotz, groomer for Crow Snow Riders said he remembered a year like this a long time ago and it rained on conditions like we have now and on that day nothing was safe out there. Karl Klassen used two words in his blog on avalanche.ca...."vigilance...and ....patience". Slopes that appear safer or more stable in the morning are going to be weakened in the afternoon by solar radiation so if you are riding this weekend you must be vigilant, have enduring patience and keep your head and eyes up. Be accepting to the decision of "not here, not now, not today" and be prepared with skills, knowledge and tools. Read the bulletins but go deeper to the forecaster blogs to read the conversations about decision making and possible scenarios. Watch the "Throttle Decisions" video on www.avalanche.ca - it has a cartoon depicting snow conditions and weather and how that plays out in relation to terrain and human triggers. Its a start to understanding the risks. Be careful and be safe...V

Mar 12/14 - Please Review the Forecasters Blog

Hi Crew, here is the photo of the slide that comes down - down the Flathead. True to current warnings it let go right from the top and is wet and took a few extra full grown trees with it. Curt groomed through the debis. Packhorse comes down too and adjacent to it will be weak so I would be weary trail riding down there. Watch above you and take a look before you end up in a tight no exit spot anywhere. We have a group here that got a report from one group that was riding Fernie area over the wet weekend last weekend and they said don't go and another group told them that they just picked really super conservative terrain, took their time everywhere and had a good weekend. So its up to you to decide what kind of riders and people are in your group. Are they a group that will be satisfied taking it very slow and being methodical in their riding and decision making or do you have guys that will crack and want to take risks that could put the entire group in jeapordy right now? For some people, riding this weekend will be ok and for others it will be best to just skip it. That's ok just be honest about it. Please go to www.avalanche.ca and go to the Forecasters blog. It will show Coal Creek Road that had three avalanches within a few kms of the staging area come down on Sunday with all that rain (we got alot of rain here too in the afternoon Sunday). Two crossed the trail and the video and photos are on the blog along with some head shaking forecasters who have never seen that occur in that area. Honestly I was amazed. I kinda felt like ....now what? I don't know what to tell you. My "go to" of Rolling Hills at the very least is now in doubt. I urge you to be very careful, be very informed. You must have equipment and know full well how to use it but believe me, its the last thing you want to have to do...use it that is. Check out the Trip Planner on the www.avalanche.ca website and know how to use your avulator because the bulletin works best hand in hand with the avulator and knowing what type of terrain you are riding. Is it treeline but with complex or simple terrain features? Our trail has a sidehill cut out that has never slid, that we have watched carefully and been respectful about it but right now its feels like a dog that has never bit me but has shown me he might. Right now I don't trust even that section. The drainage in Limestone that has never slid or given us the slightest indication that it might now puts doubt in my mind. If it went there would be no escape route. If it was ever to let go....now would be the time I think. So again, to my guests, if you wish to cancel given the highly unusual conditions right now, I will not hold you to a cancellation fee. There's always next winter (or this summer/fall if you quad/dirtbike/side by side/hunt or fish). Be careful and enjoy the outdoors however you get outside these days! Cheers - V

Mar 11/14 - Decisions on Conditions

Hey Gang, I want to take the high road here. I have never really seen forecasts or blog comments on the current conditions like this before. I had one group cancel with my blessing, because they just felt the avalanche conditions were too risky and they have not ridden out here and have limited mountain experience as a group. There is always the risk of avalanche but we have areas that are relatively safe to ride year after year during changing conditions. This winter has dealt us a rotten set of cards especially as of late and is HIGHLY UNUSUAL and so in this circumstance, to my guests - I will not charge you a cancellation fee if you decide that you will not be able to find safe riding in the Corbin, Crowsnest, Fernie area. I doubt you will find this at any other resort but we are sledders and although sledders/locals/skiers/snowshoers etc will be out this week, everyone will be doing so with careful and conservative observation and not be under the self imposed pressure of having to put in four days or so of vacation worthy sledding. I think that a a change in attitude is happening where people are becoming more flexible in their expectations because we are better informed and I am seeing guests more prepared to simply adjust their riding and terrain choices accordingly and I congratulate them for it and the forecasters for shaping this new way of thinking. Its great to have forecasters that sled. They get it and they know how to convey practical decision making. I recommend trailering from our place to get closer to the area you want to ride. Its got lots of snowpack but is really rough and we can't groom it well enough in these temps all over the board. Curt just groomed the Flathead and it was really needing it! First two kms of the Flathead is snow/ice mix but then after that the snow improved greatly as per the photos. The avalanche that runs across the trail has come down. Remember it is March and so you have that mix of spring riding and the possibility of a big snow so be prepared with your expectations and for what the weather will dictate because it is the boss. That is the update from Summit Creek Cabins mid week. Enjoy being outside and not frozen - every day on a sled should be a good day no matter what you end up riding. Cheers - V

Mar 9/14 - Raining here

Hi - I have some photos but I have misplaced my cord so I can't upload them. It was +5 here this morning and spitting a little but nothing major and now it is socked in up top - looks like it might be snowing and it is raining down here and +3. I am leaving the yard for a couple of days to see if it will melt down a bit on its own before scraping away at the slushy snow. You can still ride our trail but I would trailer around just because it is really rough from all the guests we have had on it over the past week and its too warm to do anything with it. There were TONS OF TRAILERS & SLEDS this weekend. Every staging area was full plus on the sides of roads. I couldn't believe the traffic. With that our guests said they only ran into 4 other guys up in Limestone. They said it was fantastic in there and NOT ridden out. Snow was waist deep in some spots in the trees and set up by wind in others. They got stuck in some tight steep trees on the East side - stuff most guests don't ride and heard a whumphf on the snowpack. This is consistent with the avalanche bulletin right now. I want everyone to read the South Rockies avy bulletin and then go to the South Rockies Blog for a video on whats going on out there. The reporting is great because this is the first year that we have had trained observers in such full time consistent and dedicated force reporting on the South Rockies - we have been getting better each year with the manpower dedicated to the region and it is appreciated! It is HIGHLY REACTIVE out there even below tree line right now so read the bulletins and then you will be able to plan your terrain choices (meadows and low angles with no terrain traps) carefully and still be able to enjoy the snow that is out there. It hasn't been a climbing year since early on in the season and my guests have said that was fine and that they were really working on their skills in less aggressive terrain as a result. You are going to get wet coming down below 6000ft yesterday and today and likely for the next couple of days. It is officially SPRING RIDING but reviewing the blog from last year we got a big dump of snow around the 17th and another one later in the month. So it will be lottery chances of riding set up wet snow in most places or deep fresh in others depending on the weather and anything can happen right now. Anyone booking in March usually is aware of this crap shoot but I just wanted to tell it like it is again. Be prepared with conditions information, training, the right expectations, clothing and a boot dryer if you are riding the next three weeks. Lots of guys riding and finding snow that is safe and enjoyable but they are making very conservative choices now and paying attention to the landscape around them on the way out. I will upload photos as soon as I can. Cheers and safe riding gang! - V

Mar 7/14 - From -11 to +5

What the hell! Yesterday I blew snow for 5hrs and it was still lightly snowing by evening and today it was +5 and heavy wet snow. Oh well more snow to come I am sure. Trail out of our place is rough right now and can't groom it til it snows and cools down again. Our guests did an epic trail ride by mistake today - poor guys but they are going to get to the Alpine for sure tomorrow! They said a big crew left the staging area at Corbin today and headed up into Barnes so that is likely getting ridden out. They said it looked like no one had gone up into Heartbreak and they are likely going to check out Rain Gauge and ride the trees there with a heads up. Got an email today asking about avalanches and yep the season has been precariously resting on a crappy weak layer and yep its still there in many places and yep these temp swings don't do it any favors. Gotta take a look and make some decisions and observations before you hit the throttle. My last guests from Spring Valley, Sk said that Barnes Ranch was awesome snow - alpine meadow. Cooper and Tanner were out today just in cut blocks behind us on fresh snow and said they could still carve so snow lightens a bit with altitude. The lower angle terrain towards Fernie likely holds some hidden unridden spots just waiting for some adventurous sledders. No rain today just sun and some high level cloud. Temps going to remain fairly constant over the next few days. Have a pair of scratchers at the ready for riding the lower levels. More snow in the forecast for Sunday and Monday but be prepared to get wet on the way back down. Travel with a boot dryer - tis the season. Cheers - V

Mar 6/14 - SNOW DAY

Morning crew, I am sick so I will make this short. We have overnight gotten 10-15cm of snow either from snowfall or blowing or both but its here and its snowing hard enough that I kept the kids home. Pass is still open but my porch has about 8cm of snow on it and visibility is weakening so I am not bothering to hit the hwy til I have to. Plugged in the tractor cause nobody is going anywhere til I blow snow....again. Its -9 and supposed to go to +2 later today. Jeesh! It was +4 and sleeting and melting yesterday - snow got soaked - the kind where you get stuck on the flat, sticky, wet snow - I am sure there were many natural releases yesterday because of it. All the snow came thundering off our roof with the extra weight in the snow. Guests say it was snowing above 6800ft. Tomorrow we are supposed to have more snow/rain maybe and then its predicted to go into the low teens by weeks end. I doubt it will swing that far as they have said that before and it changed daily to come back into the +2/4 range. Read your avy reports - they have really good weather info too. Having a coffee til the tractor warms up again! Cheers - V

Mar 2/14 - 5cm of Snow on the Flat

Click on these boxes to see the photos. Here's a photo of the vehicles that have sat all day and Curt back from grooming our trail today - he was missing Arizona! The bombi photo is from the Friday at Corbin where Curt went to help Terry & George fix the blade. Terry and George went out and groomed the Flathead this weekend. Well it has been bloody cold here and Cooper and I went out today just on the trail with a group that kept going headed to Corbin and the trail had 10cm easy of fresh on it and more coming down all afternoon and 5cm here on the flat in the yard with the wind blowing it around. Supposed to get 5cm daily this week. Temps were in the -28 range - holy crap - froze my feet and fingers and my nose was humming just like I was back in Sask! But tonight I was back in a fleece and vest doing chores around the yard. Temps warming up to +2 & +3 degrees tomorrow and all week! Crazy temp swings. Listen there is some great snow out there now - not what we are accustomed to but the best its been all year BUT....avy conditions are "spooky". There have been some huge hard slab avalanches and its getting deeper on that week layer(s) that are still there and it is propagating like mad! Be very careful. No joking. You need to look up when crossing terrain that could slide. Don't highmark okay...just not worth it right now. Know your group, know your skills and plan ahead and don't be afraid to look up and decide on safer terrain and say "not this area today guys". Take it seriously. Lots of safe riding to be had and there is always next year for different conditions. I tell ya, you don't want to be digging someone out, you just don't. So plan on finding those meadows you knew about but didn't bother with in previous years. Work on learning how to carve and bend that sled through the trees. I haven't seen a winter like this for extreme cold and warm swings and for sugar underneath the slabs when you are digging out. Don't ignore it okay. The group today had a blast they said. Keep your heads up in the corners! Cheers - V