Quick report
We got out with Yakima County SAR and Central Washington Mountain Rescue for a motorized avalanche refresher and rescue training. These opportunities to work with professional rescue groups are always great because not only do we get to talk about snow and avalanches and brush up on our own skills, but we also get to connect with these incredible and professional individuals who volunteer their time helping people in the mountains. The added bonus of decent riding conditions and sunshine today was a nice touch too.
Since the day was dedicated to rescue training, snowpack observations were quick. The big takeaways were that the avalanche hazard was minimal, surface crusts exist on all aspects, and the cold temperatures prevented these crusts from breaking down, even on low-elevation sunny aspects. Surface crusts are brittle on shady terrain, with weak snow below. This made the riding better than anticipated, but it could be an issue when we finally get more snow.
Weather
- Cloud Cover
- few
Overcast skies in the morning gradually cleared to just a few clouds in the afternoon. Temperatures were cold and winds were calm.
Snowpack
At 4900ft, we measured 125cm of snow. The surface was a thin (0.5-1cm) melt-freeze crust with small (2-3mm) surface hoar growth on shady slopes. Below this crust is 20-30cm of low-density snow consisting of weak, faceted grains (Fist hardness). Below this layer is more consolidated snow down to the Solstice Crust, buried 70-80cm deep.