Bromaghin Peak

Light and brisk north winds made ridgetops a chilly place to stand. We traveled on mostly north-facing terrain, that was heavily affected by the winds in early January. In the deeper wind-swept areas, a dense, firm upper snowpack (~3 feet in most places) sat above buried mid-December weak layers. Near rocky ribs, previously wind-scoured slopes, or in sheltered terrain, the upper portion of the snowpack was soft, unconsolidated, and faceted. We identified our areas of concern for the day as where rocky ribs connected to terrain harboring a thicker, denser snowpack, in steep terrain. These were areas we felt would be the most likely place to trigger avalanches. 

We felt one very small collapse while skiing in a heavily wind-affected gully with exposed rocks on the uphill side.

Surfaces:  Breakable crusts were observed on most slopes exposed to the sun. Where the wind has drifted the snow, snow surfaces range from a stiff supportable slab to soft unconsolidated facets in the less wind-affected or shallow portions of slopes. All snow surfaces had some degree of near-surface faceting. 

Weak layers and slab properties: On northerly slopes, we found a snowpack with variable depths and compositions. In the upper parts of the basin, the wind had done some serious work, building a thick, dense upper snowpack, that in many places was difficult to break through with a pole. Below this denser snow, was a noticeable drop-off where mid-December weak layers still linger. HS in these areas was ~125cm. On previously wind-scoured areas and the edges of slopes near rocky ribs, the snowpack was shallower, ~50 -75 cm, and any dense snow that was above weak layers is now a pile of soft un-consolidated faceted snow. 

In steep terrain along the N and NW headwalls of Bromaghin Peak, we could see areas where we felt may be more concerning, where shallow rocky ribs connected to terrain harboring a thicker denser snowpack. These were areas we felt would be the most likely place to trigger avalanches.