Wind Tunnel Effect

<p>Very windy day at Mt West. We stayed in the trees for shelter and visibility as much as for safety. The views we did get into the alpine we saw significant wind transport, scouring and blowing snow at ridge tops. No signs of recent avalanche activity but visibility was not great most of the day. We did see shooting cracks off our skis several times where wind drifting had packed the snow into the trees, and we also set off one very small wind slab on a cornice on a small slope. We rode lots of small slopes/rolls and small cornices aggressively all day and that was the only failure we saw, but most of our terrain was quite wind sheltered. Riding conditions were great for exploring, 20-40 cm of powder over a pretty set up base, and some deeper pockets in thick trees and creek bottoms. </p>

Terrain Ridden

Mellow slopes, Dense trees, Open trees.

Terrain Avoided

Alpine slopes, Steep slopes.

Avalanche Conditions

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

Whumpfing or drum-like sounds or shooting cracks.

Snow Conditions

Wind affected, Powder.

Weather Conditions

Windy, Cloudy.