Loop Brook Bonney Moraines

A temperature inversion has lingered over Rogers Pass for about a week. It's cold in the valleys and warm in the alpine. We saw a thick layer of surface hoar below treeline with crystals up to 25mm. Amazing stuff. When disturbed it would collapse in a cascade and run like water down even moderately steep slopes. When it's eventually buried this will probably form a nasty layer.

Early season conditions still prevail in much of Loop Brook. The creek is open making for an awkward uptrack in many places. The "Elephant's Trunk" felt a bit sketchy too. After a couple of runs on the moraines we made the mistake of descending by far skier's right and got sucked into the jungle of alder. Oh man it was diabolical, tedious stuff. We almost managed to get back to the car before darkness fell. Not quite though! But the surface hoar sparkled like millions of tiny diamonds in the light of our headlamps. Worth it.