<p> Toured around cirque sub peak/Crystal ridge area yesterday. Started from the road in the open flats below the obs/cirque drainage, was - 18 at the car around 9:30am. Started up traversing a couple drainages over the gain the col between cirque sub and crystal ridge high point. Stopped in mellow alpine dug a quick pit, west aspect 2400m 15 degrees hs 135 temp - 4(very strong inversion with ridge top Temps to - 2), upside down snow pack, top 30 was cohesive powder(f), the next 40cm was very consolidated(1F) storm snow sitting above the lower 50(F) with a mix of MF and sun crusts, decomposing or almost decomposed crusts Besides The biggest bieng a 3cm thick MF crust that was sandwiched between facets and depth hoar 100cm down. Results were not the same in CT tests(therefor they don't mean much) , first tests produced cte2 break 30cm down. Second test cth26 Resistant planer(didn't collapse only broke but was able to slide easily) 70cm down where the consolidated rounds met weak facets. Numerous avalanches noted from the past week. IL start with the first observed and work my way through them. a size 2.5 and a size 2 almost directly beside each other on the steep convex portions of the west aspect of cirque sub. There was a size 2 with 1m+ deep crown on the north east aspect of crystal ridge high point that triggered a deeper slab lower down of ground below a choke point. On the way down almost every convex west slope we skied on our line between Helen burn and crystal ridge highpoint had slide to ground. With large crowns and wide propagation ranging from size 1.5 into size 2. A 1m thick slab directly in the trees below treeline on a slope of 30 degrees was noted to have slid of ground. Lots of whoomfing on our tour with a few shooting cracks. Some slopes had previously cracked in the attempt to slid but hadn't moved. We almost triggered a cornice staying back from the ridge top about 10ft( broke within 2ft of skiers walking, be careful give cornices extreme caution when approaching they are large and sensitive to skiier traffic and propagating back way further then expected) shooting crack shot 10m up hill cornice began to sag but didn't release on a northly aspect of cirque sub ridge. Our goal was to stay off slopes above 25 degrees which we maintained all day, we summitEd cirque sub using the lowest angle terrain possible, and summit the high point of crystal ridge before returning down the opposite way we came up to complete a mini traverse of the crystal ridge area. skiing down to the crow foot parking lot. Was a sunny day mostly clear sky's strong inversion light winds out of the east. Play safe out there it's not big line season and it it surely Spicey, don't be a number! I'm sure it will persists for some time before things start looking up here in the rockies. </p>
Terrain Ridden
Alpine slopes, Mellow slopes, Dense trees, Sunny slopes, Open trees.
Terrain Avoided
Steep slopes, Convex slopes.
Avalanche Conditions
Rapid temperature rise to near zero degrees or wet surface snow.
Slab avalanches today or yesterday.
Whumpfing or drum-like sounds or shooting cracks.
Snow Conditions
Crusty, Wind affected, Powder.
Weather Conditions
Warm, Sunny.
Location:
51.69658000 -116.43382000
