Foggy conditions in the valley meant starting a route higher on the Lac le Jeune Road.   The upper Ironmask Hills area can be snowshoed or hiked in winter, but the snow conditions were less than ideal.   Several freeze and thaw cycles had made the snowpack crusty.    Where snowshoers have stomped in a track, conditions were good, but where hikers had punched through the crust, there was a linear trail of irregular postholes.     That made it difficult for snowshoeing.    Off-track efforts found breakable crust conditions and even snowshoes punched through to mid-thigh.  

The arduous stomp was a loop route over the hills, roughly following mountain bike trails.   

Although conditions were challenging, the forest was beautiful.     We will return to hike the hills when conditions are better in late winter,  

A Kamloops Trails video shares some of the Ironmask Hills crunches: