Mint>Bomber
Quick report
Conditions were stale and stable. There were some previously wind loaded, drifted snow near the top of Bomber Pass on the N side, but these slabs had faceted and lost cohesion. No reactivity. We did not experience any collapsing or cracking. Due souths showed no significant wet loose activity. We skied a southwest aspect at 1800 and had no movement of moist surface snow.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 20
- Cloud Cover
- clear
- Wind Loading
- previous
- Recent Snowfall
- NO
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Another day of settled weather with clear conditions. It felt hot in the sun and cold in the shade.
Snowpack
Snow surfaces are highly variable. On the Mint Hut approach, conditions were challenging--stiff, supportable wind board in the hot sun at 1200 were not budging--no signs of warming here on E, SE aspects.
On the Pennyroyal glacier, we experienced a stout and firm entrance with some edgable surfaces that improved as you got into more sheltered, loose faceted snow. The structure remained consistent with what we have seen in the forecast area: unreactive 2-6" knife hard wind slabs over faceted snow below.
The southwesterly pitch off of Bomber Pass was showing some signs of warming by 1800 but loose, moist snow did not gain momentum on this steep piece of terrain--we were unable to trigger any wet loose sluffs even as this panel was in direct, uninerupted sunlight with no wind in the heat of the day.
There is ample snow on the glaciers down low and despite the low snow year, coverage is low. Snow depths via pole tests were consistently in the 100 to 150cm or deeper on the glacier, depending on drifting.
We observed some small surface hoar in sheltered norths approaching Bomber Pass. This was isolated and only existed in shady, protected features.