Mt. Judah

Going out this morning, we expected a weak refreeze at best and were not surprised when we stepped onto the snow around 8:30 am and instantly sank into ankle-to-shin-deep, wet, mushy snow on a northerly aspect. In tree-covered areas, the wet snow was even less supportable. Open areas had experienced a minor refreeze and had a thin, breakable crust on them in a few spots. As we ascended, the snow remained wet, and evidence of refreezing diminished.  Cornices in the area continue to sag and separate from the ridges, and some of them have failed in recent days, leaving chunks of cornice on the slopes below. As in other areas, rain runnels and uneven surfaces are everywhere. As on previous days, we did not see any recent slab avalanches on Judah or along the Sierra Crest. We did see some recent wet loose avalanches on some of the steeper slopes or in areas where failing cornices had entrained wet snow on the slopes below. 

During our descent, we mostly stuck to lower-angle slopes, except for ski-cutting a few test slopes. The ski cuts produced sluffs of wet snow and pinwheels. The deep, wet, manky snow and thin, breakable crusts made travel more challenging. There were also plenty of open creeks near the start of our tour that forced us to alter our route. 

 

We saw more recent cornice collapses and signs of unstable wet snow like pinwheels, roller balls, and small sluffs of wet loose snow.