Kootenay Pass surprisingly GOOD!

Spent the day up at kootenay pass yesterday and was some what worried about the Dec 12th rain event and if there was enough new snow overlying this crust to make the trip worth wild after hearing from others that the skiing was marginal. We found 25cm, of light fluffy powder on top of a bomber crust which was thick, supportive and bridging things very well. 

(click for a larger view)

You would not want to ski steeper slopes as you would easily hit the crust but low angle and moderate slopes in the trees were great skiing – alot of wind at the summit of Cornice Ridge has scraped every last spec of snow from the summit but lower down it was calm and just really cold out. It snowed lightly most of the day and more snow is forecast for today.

It seems the Pass got the brunt of the wind and rain last weekend where as Whitewater escaped the worst of it, but the pass has recovered nicely and the skiing is well worth the drive out.