Quick report
- Cracking
- Observed
A couple notes from travels around the past two days. Yesterday near the northern portions of GTNP, north facing chutes (10,000’) had deep hollow hard wind slabs in the entrances which needed to be avoided. Simultaneously, there were shallow wind slabs (D1s), reactive from recent loading and we observed a natural cycle on steep north facing chutes (likely at the end of February). There was evidence of recent buried debris (D2.5s), and bed surfaces which still served as a good sliding surface for additional wind loaded pockets on steep rocky rollovers around 9,000’ which were easy to trigger with ski cuts (again D1’s). In terrain where no previous activity was observed, no cracking/collapsing noted, just fast running loose dry in steep terrain. No surprise, but solars took on quite a bit of heat Tuesday with some wet loose and rollers noted. The Feb 18 interface seems more suspect on SE in the lower bands of the mid elevations, especially with the warm snow event on the horizon. Today on Taylor. Weather stations were reporting SE, though pretty extensive channeling was occurring along the ridgeline and to the summit. At times SE, then NE, and on the ridge a moderate to strong E wind had us bearing down and changing our plans. Leeward zones were getting loaded and cracking was easily found. Southern aspects and lower elevations had a melt/freeze and zipper crust from yesterday, but not as horrendous as expected. Sheltered aspects not due south still had good snow, but due solars will have another sliding surface as the next storm arrives.