Quick report
- Cracking
- specific
We set out for a very conservative ski tour given the high avalanche hazard for the day but ultimately it was non-avalanche reasons that caused us to turn back early. Extreme wind speeds began felling trees which is a highly unpredictable hazard to contend with. That, combined with wind strong enough to knock you over was enough for us to get the heck outta there!
Despite heavy snow, we were able to push off very small wind slabs on wind loaded slopes. These slabs slid on the slick Solstice Crust.Weather
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- intense
- Rain Elevation
- 3000
- Recent Snowfall
- 51
- Snow Avail For Transport
- large amounts
In the morning, wet and heavy snowfall fell. It eased throughout the day as we ascended. There was calm wind at the beginning of our tour. As we reached more exposed slopes at lower elevations, we encountered winds that rapidly increased to extreme speeds. Although the snow was heavy, large amounts were being transported by the wind. Upon our descent, we encountered moderate rainfall below 3500 ft.
Snowpack
We found an average of 20 inches of new snow where we traveled at lower elevations. This snow overlayed a thick melt freeze crust we are calling the Solstice Crust. In wind-sheltered areas, the new snow was well bonded to itself and the crust. In these same areas, the crust was 1F hard and "uneven". In exposed areas where we were able to trigger slides, the crust was more hard and slick, creating a prime sliding surface.
As we descended into the rain, we noted water tunnels that had rapidly formed, having not been there on our ascent. We saw lots of snow falling off trees and roller balls.