Ambulance in waiting for an injured skier at West Bragg Creek
If you go skiing at West Bragg Creek, you’ll find extremely thin snow, dirt, rocks, grass, and possibly an ambulance.
Poor conditions on Mountain Road
I can’t recommend skiing at WBC on the poor conditions. The groomers rolled the snow from yesterday, but it wasn’t enough to make for safe skiing. I checked a few of the trails near the trailhead and they were all in rough shape. There are occasional stretches where there’s enough snow to make it pleasant, but you will inevitably end up with scratches on your skis due to all the places where there are exposed rocks and dirt.
Much worse than scratches on your skis, however, is that you could hit a rock or dirt patch and crash.
I was told that conditions get worse as you get further out, such as on Moose Loop and Mountainview West.
The injured skier was brought in to the trailhead from Mountainview West on a sled pulled by the Kei truck. My understanding is that he is doing okay.
A section of Lower West Crystal with adequate snow cover
If the rocks and dirt don’t get you, perhaps a large puddle will. I was at the top of a steep hill on Middle West Crystal Line and luckily I could see the water at the bottom and avoided it.
I only skied for 15 minutes and felt my skis hitting bottom numerous times.
Weather-wise, it was a perfect day with blue skies, no wind and a temperature of -7°C. If I showed only the photos where the conditions were good, you’d think it was a terrific day. The parking lot looked to be about 80% occupied. As always, I enjoyed seeing the happy dogs and running into some old acquaintances.
Lake Louise
Thanks to Ulrike, we know that conditions have improved at LL with 5 cm of new snow. Moraine Lake road was groomed and trackset today. Ulrike remarked, “Fantastic day!” The Trail Report indicates the Great Divide was also groomed and trackset today. Ulrike went all the way to Moraine Lake, but I’d like to remind everyone that beyond the viewpoint at 9K, the trail crosses large avalanche paths. The grooming ends at 9K.
West Bragg Creek Nov 11, 2020
