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Slow melt at high elevations near Revelstoke this spring

At one location on Mt. Fidelity there is double the usual snowpack for early July
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Parks Mountain Safety crew on Mt. Fidelity. (C. Gooliaff/Parks Canada)

Snowpack on Mt. Fidelity in Glacier National Park is double the 50-year average for this time of year.

On July 6 there was 80 cm of snow at the snow study plot in the western part of the park. The average for the area in early July is 41 cm.

The snow study plot and Fidelity Weather Station are one of several study sites used to determine avalanche conditions throughout the Rogers Pass area of Glacier National Park.

Snow remains at high elevations as we roll into July as a result of the high snowpack we saw last winter as well as the cool spring conditions, according to Parks Canada.

READ MORE: Revelstoke’s snow removal so far this year cost $1.3M

Amounts vary depending on the steepness of the slope and how much sun the area gets.

Parks Canada’s visitor safety team said that the Abbott Ridge trail remains snow covered from 1,700 metres and the food lockers at Hermit Trail are still under snow, so at least 1.5 metres.

However, the trail is snow free up to 1,900 metres with patchy snow to 2,050 metres and covered above that.

The Avalanche Crest trail is snow free to 1,650 metres the patchy to 1,850 and snow bound above that.

Some areas of Revelstoke saw record breaking snowfall in December 2019, while Glacier National Park saw roughly 250 cm which is above average but not record breaking for the area.

READ MORE: Big dump: December’s snowfall near Revelstoke record breaking

For more information about trail conditions in see Parks Canada’s website.


 

@RevelstokeRevue
editor@revelstoketimesreview.com

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