Dick Creek

Yukon Field Team , Wednesday 17th April, 2024 6:10PM

It is a complicated story out there! Observed naturals and reports of surface hoar and whumphing had us really poking our heads in the snow today. In both the north and south drainage of Dick Creek, we found layers of buried SH down 50-70 cm in the snowpack. These SH forms are well preserved and easily identified. Numerous naturals up to size 2 can be found throughout this area; most are more than 48 hours old, and we did not observe any new slides today or yesterday. Several extended column and compression tests did not produce significant results, likely on account of 'bridging', which is a weak layer (surface hoar) underneath a stronger layer; in this case, the dense storm slab atop the SH. Nonetheless, we treaded with caution out there. We still haven't covered enough ground in the Haines Pass to have a high level of confidence in the full extent of the problem. To add complexity, it is set to get pretty warm for the remainder of the week. Best to keep a keen eye on the forecast and approach spring objectives with a conservative mind as conditions are pretty dynamic right now!