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East aspect of "Burstall Pass Peak". |
Great day out of backcountry
skiing on Saturday March 22, second full day of spring. Avalanche hazard was
complicated, lots of recent snow on old weak faceted layers. Curt and I chose an
objective with low angles and minimal over head terrain. “Burstall Pass Peak” (GR145231), the high point between Burstall Pass and South Burstall Pass.
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Classic view to Mt. Robertson. |
Great choice for the day. Sunny and cold start, but beautiful blue skies to
motivae the approach ski in. Just above the steep trees above the flats of the
Robertson Glacier, a speedy group of four skiers passed us; they did a run off
Burstall Pass.
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Cold and clear on the ski in. |
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View to "Snow Peak". |
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Mt. Birdwood. |
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View to "Burstall Pass Peak". |
We headed south, nearly all the way to the low point of South
Burstall Pass, then headed up the low angle South West Ridge of “Burstall Pass
Peak”. Just above the pass, the ridge was blown clear of snow, so we left our
packs and skis and hiked to the summit. Intermittent views as snow squalls blew
in and blew out of the area.
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Skiing south towards South Burstall Pass. |
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Great views to Mt. Sir Douglas. (Photo by Curt) |
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Heading up slope towards the South West slopes. |
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Low angle and broad slopes of "Burstall Pass Peak" Low avi hazard. |
Super windy on the summit. I tried to dig out the
summit register, found a plastic film container with a frozen solid note pad.
Quick hike back to our packs. We managed to get some turns on the low angled
terrain back to main up track. From the Robertson Glacier turnoff out, we were
hit with a huge snow storm, snowed a lot. Great day out on skis even with the
spooky snowpack.
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Hiking up SW slopes. (Photo by Curt) |