August Powder in the Rockies!

August powder in the Rockies is back at higher elevations, with fresh snow whitening the webcams at Kicking Horse, Banff Sunshine and Lake Louise.

It doesn’t take much to get powder skiers paying attention. A late-August storm across the Rockies has laid down the first fresh snow of the coming season and given the high alpine a proper reset.

For backcountry skiers, August turns are nothing new. The glaciers and permanent snowfields are always there, and fresh snow is all the excuse needed to head higher.

Now we start watching the snowpack. A metre of snow opens up a lot more terrain. Two metres and things start getting good.

It’s still early season, so the usual hazards are very real — open crevasses, rocks, thin coverage and possible avalanche problems. Know what’s underneath you, make good decisions and check Avalanche Canada’s Mountain Information Network (MIN) for recent observations before heading out.

The webcams are white, the glaciers have been refreshed and skis are coming out of summer storage.

Powder days have returned!