Something for everyone: heavy snow and bright sunshine

-Nice conditions on Upper Pocaterra-

8 – 10 cm of new snow had accumulated on Tyrwhitt and it was still coming down. Later, when I skied down Pocaterra, the sky was blue and there was only a skiff of snow on last night’s tracksetting.

It started snowing when I met Andrea and Bob at the top of the steep part of Whiskey Jack

It started snowing when I met Andrea and Bob at the top of the steep part of Whiskey Jack. Check the trip reports to see their grouse photo.

Air temperature was +1°C at an almost-full Boulton Creek parking lot around 12:30 pm. Snow temperature was -1. Looked like another challenging wax day.

It was snowing moderately when I met Diane and Barry G at the Whiskey Jack - Pocaterra junction. Barry G posts occasional trip reports on this blog.

It was snowing moderately when I met Diane and Barry G at the Whiskey Jack – Pocaterra junction. Barry G posts occasional trip reports on this blog.

I started up the new tracksetting on Whiskey Jack on VR48( a mixture of Vr45 and VR50). It looked as if it had snowed a little as there was a bit of skied-in snow in the tracks. I was slipping but persevered. When I reached the top of the steep part, it started snowing and the new snow snow gave me plenty of grip.

The falling snow got heavier as I skied south on Tyrwhitt. My intention was to go as far as the picnic table, turn around and return to Pocaterra and go down Packers.

The snow was really coming down on Tyrwhitt

The snow was really coming down on Tyrwhitt

At the high point on Tyrwhitt, I had to re-wax because the new snow was creating icing problems. I re-waxed with Vr40(-4/-12) and it did the job. It was slow going in the deep fresh snow, and the usual spectacular views were hidden from sight, so I only went a short distance through the Tyrwhitt meadows and turned around.

Herb and his group were in dire need of a scraper on Tyrwhitt. Herb won the Elk Pass contest back in December.

Herb(2nd from left) and his group were in dire need of a scraper on Tyrwhitt. Herb won the Elk Pass contest back in December.

I ran into Herb and his group with high heels on their skis. I lent them my scraper so I hope they managed to complete the loop without too much sticking.

As I returned to the Whiskey Jack – Pocaterra junction, the sky was turning blue and the snow had stopped. The tracks had fresh snow in them, so the descent to Packers junction wasn’t quite as fast as I would have liked.

When I returned to Pocaterra, the sky was clearing and the snow had stopped.

When I returned to Pocaterra, the sky was clearing and the snow had stopped.

I had not skied on Packers yet this season, so now was the time with the fresh grooming. The tracks were faster than Pocaterra but still not as fast as I thought they should be. The steep hill was easy and safe with some loose snow. The ice flow barely registered. It is mostly covered with snow but you can tell it’s underneath.

Packers was in great shape. The steep hill was easy to descend.

Packers was in great shape. The steep hill was easy to descend. The ice flow is not problematic.

Pocaterra parking lot looked almost full when I drove past. I still haven’t skied the 4K section of trail between the hut and Lynx this winter but it’s on my agenda.

The forecast is predicting a heavy snowfall midweek. It looks more like an upslope system, so West Bragg Creek, Ribbon Creek, and Canmore should receive significant amounts of snow. It’s coming at the perfect time to create good conditions for the Cookie Race on Saturday with new snow and blue-wax temperatures.

2 Comments:

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  1. Hmm. I’m seeing a SkierBob official scraper perhaps coming to a trail head near you very soon -)

  2. Thanks for the scraper, Bob. It was a life saver. It took me three scraping sessions to remove most of the wax, and we had a good run down Elk Pass. That’s twice now I’ve needed soft wax to get up Whiskey Jack, and harder wax once I’m up top. A person almost needs to carry wax stripper! I hope to see you out there again, so I can give you your scraper back.

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