Rohr South faces - Jan 8, 2011

words and photos by Lee Lau unless otherwise noted.

With the first bit of nice weather after another big storm cycle the CAA issued an avalanche warning. The recent weather had come in from the SW as usual so we guessed that windward slopes might have had surface hoar and near surface facets knocked out by wind. Accordingly we picked the S faces of Rohr in the Duffey (the big slidepaths descending to Hwy 99 and headed there.

A test pit results at about 1900m at treeline wasn't particularly encouraging. Medium and hard shears at 30 to 40 cms resistant and sudden planar respectively. The first on what looked like windslab and the second at the storm interface. We elected to ski down steep trees conservatively and found that stability was a bit more encouraging than otherwise expected; generating only sluff and not slabs.

Sharon and Tara pulled out after one to to bottom lap (800m vert) and the rest of us headed up for another lap this time going to ridgetop and going fullpath on slide path 3 all the way to valley floor. We avoided convexities and although the slope is kind of mind-blowingly direct and a bit of a mental challenge it skied really well. Again, sluff not slabs with excellent skiing to valley bottom

Notes: Temps minus 12 to minus 15. Skies generally clear with some clouds later in the day. Winds light at or BTL. Moderate in the alpine from the NE. Storm snow between 40 to 50cms.