More Snow on Upper Mountain

After watching it rain most of the night in Banff last night, I wondered if it was cold enough in Lake Louise for that rain to be snow. When I arrived in Lake Louise this morning, it was still dark, and was therefore unable to see the upper mountain. It was raining and about 2C at the base.

I then checked my e-mail to view the morning report from our remote weather station on Pika, above the base of Paradise chair. It said we had received around 4cm overnight, and that the temperatures had only just fallen below freezing. I assumed then that only part of the precipitation falling at Pika fell as snow, and since we have a lot of mountain above that spot, was hopeful that there was more new snow higher up.

It wasn’t until after lunch that I got my confirmation, since clouds obscured the view of most of the mountain all morning. A snowmaking supervisor drove a quad up to the top of the Grizzly Gondola, and was able to snap a few quick pictures. He estimated about 8cm of new snow had fallen overnight at that spot, with more likely higher up and on leeward slopes.

Enough to open? No.

Enough to get excited? You bet.

Looking across to Larch area from the top of Ptarmigan run. (photo: Paul Buck)

Top of Grizzly Gondola. (photo: Paul Buck)

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