A recent Mountain Conditions Report on Roger Pass:
Spent the day today (Nov. 20) in the various bowls and basins of the Connaught drainage at the Pass. Temps were a brisk -15c parking lot with a sunny high of -10 mid day above treeline. The weather was fine -mix of sun & cloud, with mostly calm wind. The snowpack is about 30% less than normal for this time of year.
The trail up to Balu Pass is full of rocks and roots and low snow cover. It is passable but one must be careful to avoid injury. Snowpack depths are about 40-50cms lower down, with an average of 85cms at 2200M (treeline), and about 100-120cms in the sheltered lees and draws in the alpine. Saw a few older avalanches from past 4 days up to size 2.
The snowpack was mostly stable, only one layer of crust closer to the ground which showed mostly hard compression test results. The Glacier Public Avy bulletin is rating the hazard at moderate at Treeline and Alpine. Otherwise mostly low density unsettled mid and upper pack. Of more concern than the avalanche hazard was therock and weed hazard.
The alder weeds were extremely bad in the lower part of Hospital gully accessing Ursus Minor/Hospital Bowl area. There were quite a few parties skiing there the last two days and pretty much all the good available lines are now tracked out.
I hit about 12 rocks today, some on the skintrack, some on the runs, and some on the trail out. It would take about 30-40 more cms to bring it up to "normal" good skiing.
Russell Lybarger Ski Guide.
