Emna Instability

harrytudor4 , Saturday 21st December, 2024 4:15PM

Skiing in Kutetl (is that how it's spelled?? I never know). Very firm but enjoyable. Slight crust, but mostly everything up there just felt very compact, presumably from wind and a heating/cooling cycle. Skiing up the East face of Emna Peak, observed remnants one natural slide (maybe 10cm deep, probably a day old, see photo) along the ridge toward Half Dome. While climbing the last pitch on the ridge to Emna heard a big wumph and felt the snow settle. Some cracks in the snow, but nothing slid (probably a 25-30 degree slope below us). Got the heck out of there. Hand shear tests throughout the day had the snow releasing reluctantly around 30-40cm down. Stay safe out there!