Gothic Mountain

An excellent day to travel in alpine terrain with Wet Loose avalanches possible on very steep northerly terrain or possibly shallow rocky slopes elsewhere.  We did not encounter recent drifting in this terrain and enjoyed dry snow above 12,000 feet on due north slopes.  Wet Loose avalanche activity appears to be an isolated issue in the landscape, and proper timing mitigates the hazard.  We kept a safe distance from overhanging cornices during our ascent.

No new avalanches observed, but I have coded a few small, Wet Loose avalanches on northeast slopes near treeline that occurred a few days ago. I drove around at 5 PM looking for fresh avalanche activity and found none.

The overnight freeze was better than anticipated based on weather station readings this morning.  We traversed a east-northeat feature at 11,800 feet at 945 AM and it was in prime ski condition.  I traversed this slope around 1145 AM, and it was punchy, but did not produce any loose avalanche activity.

Due north slopes above 12,000 feet remain dry with a lightly faceted, wind-textured surface.  We did not encounter any previous windloading and found fun, soft turns.  My partners reascended our descent route, and the snow remained dry during peak heating, so expect any incoming snowfall this week to accumulate on a dry surface on north slopes above treeline.  Once you tilt towards northeast or northwest (up to 12,200 feet) expect it to accumulate on a crust.

My partners descended a southwest-facing gully above treeline around 1230 and found sun-softened and supportive turns.  Dust continues to brighten on sunnier terrain features, making for sticky turns.