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Rocky Mountain Ramblers Association

Trip Report
Trip Date:
3-Dec-2021
Activity:
Off-Trail skiing
Trip name:
Hidden L, Little Richardson NE slope
Coordinator:
John
Report:

We headed off up the ski-out at 9:30 am with a couple of cms of new snow on the trail and evidence of warm temperatures in the previous day. Our first obstacle was the small creek that crosses the trail that was still open and required some careful footwork to cross. The ski-out had good snow coverage and was well packed. As we ascended, the depth of fresh snow increased dramatically, and above Temple Lodge was in excess of 35 cm. Much to our surprise, we soon found ourselves breaking trail which added at least 30 minutes to arriving at Halfway Hut for lunch. The conditions were amazing for the time of year, with over a metre of snow pack; a firm base, and no evidence of depth hoar. After a leisurely lunch in the sun with balmy temperatures, we headed off for some runs on the slopes above Hidden Lake. The turns were delightful and were the highpoint of our day. The only evidence of avalanche activity was a large slab release on the Mount Richardson ridge to the west. Thank you Ulli for photos, and thank you all for coming out. Participants: Philip, Kim, David, Manfred, Ray, Ulrike, Barbara, Gary, Andre, Tina. John c/s




Halfway Hut under a heavy snow load.




Lunch stop with Mount Richardson in the background.




Lunch stop.




A rare scene: serious trail breaking in early December in the Rockies.




Phillip in action.




Tina trail breaking.




Barb with Redoubt Mountain in background.




Tracks above Hidden Lake.




Tina in action.




The team in action.




Slab release on ridge to Mount Richardson.




Heading home with Temple in the distance.