Youngs Peak

Today our AST 2 group bailed on Plan A in the parking lot due to 10-15cm of new snow with strong winds in the alpine overnight and yesterday. Instead we walked up the Asulkan Valley to see if we could make it up Youngs Peak. There was no new wind effect until above the tree triangle, where it was scoured to scree and rime ice near the hut. Above the hut the 10-15cm of new snow overnight was wind effected, with hard sastrugi or ice in exposed places. There was a consistent hollowness in the snowpack down 20-40cm (presumably from recent winds) up to the base of the headwall, where it appeared to be wind hammered (rather than hollow) underneath the fresh snow. We could see some partially blown in tracks on the headwall, but we decided not to walk up it with a large group, marginal visibility and cold toes. The middle section of the 7-steps was sheltered and skied amazing, although the upper and lower sections were variable.