Quick report
No freeze and high temps made conditions pretty interesting today. Snow warmed rapidly, even on N / NE slopes. Clear skies and light/no wind added to the accelerated warming of the snowpack. I hiked all the way to the summit ridge on foot, but snow started to become punchy around 9:45, especially where it was directly facing the sun. Many ridges had large cornices, and there was evidence of cornice collapse nearby (see photos). Wet loose avalanches that appeared to be triggered by cornice collapses were observed in the Prairie Lakes drainage. Descending off the peak, ~10:00am, I triggered a small wet loose avalanche that released over a buried rock. The slide was small, and no skiers were caught and the snow did not accumulate as it slid. Slope angle of the crown point was ~38 degrees facing NNE at 10,000ft. No other skier triggered instability was triggered or observed, but snow was completely isothermic by 9,000ft.
Weather
- Recent Snowfall
- 0
Avalanche
Descending off the peak, I triggered a small wet loose avalanche that released over a buried rock. The slide was small, and no skiers were caught and the snow did not accumulate as it slid. Slope angle of the trigger point was ~38 degrees facing NNE at 10,000ft. No other skier triggered instability was triggered or observed, but snow was completely isothermic by 9,000ft.