Quick report
We rode around the Placer River area today and managed to make it up onto the ice at the Skookum Glacier. Riding conditions in the Placer River Valley ranged from dust on crust to 8–12 inches of snow on that same low-elevation crust layer. The route up to Skookum involved a handful of small open water crossings and some alder punches, but overall it was easier than expected.
Our time on the glacier was brief once we discovered that the standard route across the ice had changed significantly over the past couple of years. A large, roughly 100-meter-wide portion of the glacier has collapsed, making the south moraine route virtually impassable. Caution is advised for anyone trying to access the upper Skookum Glacier via snowmachine or skis.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 12-15
- Cloud Cover
- broken
- Wind Loading
- none
- Rain Elevation
- not observed
- Recent Snowfall
- 0
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
We set out from the new Placer River parking area under broken skies and 12-degree temperatures. The weather remained fairly consistent throughout the day, with light to moderate wind gusts coming out of the cold northwest.
Snowpack
We did not dig a pit today, but we observed significant faceting in the upper snowpack, with about 6–8 inches of faceted snow on top of a breakable crust. We also noted faceting below this crust. Snow depth near the glacier was roughly 140cm deep but was much shallower throughout the Placer river valley.
Avalanche
We noted a fair amount of old avalanche debris in the Skookum area. It was hard to determine how old it was, but one avalanche in particular appeared to be a wet slab, likely several weeks old at this point.