Fast travel and faceted sufaces in North Facing Terrain

Carmacks West

Eirik Sharp

We took advantage of fast travel conditions and beautiful weather to explore some of the bigger glaciated terrain west of Mt Carmacks above Finnegans Camp on the Chilkoot. Surfaces are widely wind affected but have started to facet in more sheltered areas making for pleasant skiing. We got an early start to ensure we tackled the steeper south-facing slopes necessary to gain the Carmack-Clifford col before they had received much solar input. Air temperatures warmed significantly through the day from -15 to -4C. We didn't observe any loose wet activity but noticed the melt-freeze crust on Solar aspects softening by midday. Outflow winds were strong and gusty through the morning, creating reactive pockets of windslab at the ridgeline, in cross-loaded features, and below midslope convexities. However, we felt comfortable exposing ourselves to more planer terrain and skied and skinned through large, step, unsupported and crevassed terrain.

Source: Mountain Conditions

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