Quick report
Our avalanche course saw many red flags today while mostly avoiding avalanche terrain. In the Gulf of Slides, we observed a recent D-2 avalanche on a northern aspect to the looker’s left of the Sandbox. In the Main Gully, a crown line was observed in the lookers left hand fork, as well as a D1 R1 avalanche in the middle of the gully. Both seemed to have been naturally triggered. Around noon, the sun was warming our faces and the surface snow, and the winds were remarkably calm. Clouds sometimes obscured the terrain above. While we practiced snow pit observations, the wind began to ramp up from the west or northwest, sending plumes of snow across the ridges. In a snow pit just below the runout of the Main Gully (4,000’), we found about 40cm of new snow atop the old refrozen snowpack. A 15-20cm layer of 4-finger-hard snow lay on the surface, above a fist-hard layer. Compression tests showed planar fractures occurring on easy taps from the wrist, down 20cm and also down 35cm. The weak layer was fist-hard decomposing fragments. We performed one extended column test, which resulted in an ECTP4 (fracture with propagation on the 4th tap) down 20cm. All of this reaffirmed the plan we had decided on in the morning: cross the runout of The Fingers one at a time, and otherwise avoid all avalanche terrain. We were very glad to see winter make a comeback.