Observation: No Name Bowl

Went back to No Name in search of non winded terrain with a pitch to it. First of all there’s no way I would ski in No Name Bowl if there was any kind of wind affect or wind slab because I know what’s lurking under the new snow, FACETS to the ground. There was a slight bit of wind slab right off the ridge line but 10ft down the slope it went back to light density powder on a pile of loose facets. If we ever get a real load of snow with higher density the bowl seems destine to avalanche wall to wall. It’s easy to see how weak the snow on this slope is by the long running sluffs gouging down into the facets and entraining quite a bit of snow. I did not note any natural avalanching in either Monitor from the E winds more like scouring down to old tracks and previous avalanches.

Photos: long running sluffs gouging into the faceted snow pack, and a video that shows you just how weak the snow pack is in this terrain

Powder in non wind affected terrain, wind slabs, wind crust and sastrugi in wind exposed locations. The new snow is resting on a pile of facets to the ground in No Name.