Stormy Seaton

<p>We went sled skiing up Seaton basin today. We saw one new size 2 natural avalanche that’s probably less than 24 hours old. We think this slide was triggered by a cornice failure off the ridge. We toured to the ridge top avoiding slopes that were exposed to cornices, which are large and looming due to the mild temps and continued moderate winds. We dug a profile just below ridge top on a due north aspect at 1600m. Extended column tests showed two hard propagating shears down 43cm and 50 cm both on facets under a thin crust. Exposed features were all wind affected to some extent so we skied down in the sheltered mellow trees avoiding steeper features where it could be possible to trigger a wind slab. </p>

Terrain Ridden

Mellow slopes.

Terrain Avoided

Steep slopes.

Avalanche Conditions

Slab avalanches today or yesterday.

30cm + of new snow, or significant drifting, or rain in the last 48 hours.

Snow Conditions

Wind affected.

Weather Conditions

Cloudy.