Avalanche Forecast

No new avalanches observed today, but there was evidence of an old cycle up to sz 2. These would have ran on the Nov crust mid storm.

Today was our fist field day that we were able to get up high and have a good look around on multiple aspects. Overall we found good conditions worth the effort of fighting through valley bottom. Low elevation is pretty rugged with plenty of less than elegant willow bashing, but once you've paid your dues, travel improves. Above 1950m there's enough snow to travel and conditions are pretty good. We can thank the mid November crust for that. The crust carries very well and we found it as high as 2350m on all aspects. The snow above the crust is quite good with no obvious weak layers. Higher up in the alpine we didn't find any wind slabs. But it's not all roses. When the crust does fade away, hitting rocks through the weak snowpack is a real concern. There's anywhere from 100cm to 20cm total snow depth in the alpine. As one would expect, the surface snow is losing cohesion with the cold. Sluffing and entrainment will become a concern as the cold weather keeps going.

Sunday looks like a beautiful day. Clear skies, morning low of -15, daytime high of -9 and very light winds. Not much more to say about that.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.