Quick report
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>This was our first outing in some time with zero whumphing. Dug a pit at 8,770 feet on NNE-facing, small 35 degree slope. Total depth 115 cm, loose grains from the ground to 35 cm. ECTX, but when forced to fail with a shovel, the entire top 80 cm moved as a slab. The bottom seems to be getting a bit stronger, but I wouldn't trust anything steep in consequential terrain. A slab of 80 cm could easily produce enough snow to bury someone. </p>
Snowpack
On NNE-facing, the turns were very good. Poles still want to go to the ground and stepping off skis has boot penetration crotch-deep, but the skiing was consistent and supportable. Entry/exit via South-facing. The late morning sun was hitting it hard, and exiting around sunset the top had crusted up. Hard crust underneath. Wind was not transporting much snow.