Heads up Hockey Time!

Mountain Conditions Report

<p>It's heads up hockey out there Gang!</p> <p>I visited Loop brook and the Bonney moraines today with several other groups.</p> <p>Of note were several recent (within the last 12-24 hours) significant avalanches.</p> <p>Most impressive was the size 4 off Mt. Green that filled up the canyon for the most part and dusted the uptrack above the elephants trunk with enough force to create a windslab on the surface (I noticed the "curious" windslab while breaking trail prior to seeing the deposit).</p> <p> This avalanche released from the East side of the summit ridge of Mt. Green (photo 1) starting off as a storm depth slab and then stepping down @ 1800 to the Dec 1st crust/facet layer which added significantly to the mass of this avalanche. </p> <p>The other 2 avalanches (#2,3) were also @ 1800m. elevation - and being morainal features, you can only assume that any faceting at the crust snowpack interface would only be enhanced.</p> <p>#2 illustrates the potential for pull back that occurs when a stiff slab fails and pulls back into what would normally be considered lower angled terrain. </p> <p>Photo number 3 shows a mid slope failure over a convexity - it is hard to say if a small sluff ran from steeper terrain above to trigger this - or if the snowpack just said "enough - I give", and that is with only a 25cm additional load in the last 24 hours (let's just say not a large input).</p> <p>Given the current forecast weather - if I was planning on recreating around Glacier park this weekend, take-aways for me from these observations would be:<br /> - start early<br /> - stay away from overhead solar slopes<br /> - and keep the terrain simple.</p> <p>Here is a link to an article "Ruminations on Raincrusts" that I penned last year for a great website "The Powder Cloud" - check it out as it is relevant to the current issues at hand (also tons of other great content on this site for those looking to make informed quality decisions) -<br /> <a href="https://thepowdercloud.com/learn/avalanche-education/ruminations-on-rain-crusts/">https://thepowdercloud.com/learn/avalanche-education/ruminations-on-rain...</a></p> <p>Cheers,<br /> Scott Davis<br /> ACMG Mountain Guide</p>