Groundhog day in the Wheaton

<p>When life gives you lemons (road closures), make lemonade (go to the Wheaton. Again). Summary of obs from a sled AST field day: Nice start to the day with temps in the -5C range not far above the valley floor. South wind picked up early pm and light-moderate snow started mid-afternoon. Riding conditions remain variable with a very soft wind slab underlain by increasingly large facets, depth hoar and willows. Worth going out in any case. Our group triggered a very small size 1 on a small steep feature, but otherwise found no signs of instability. Another group shared a pic of a size 1.5 triggered on a south aspect. From today, but we're unsure who/how on the trigger. 15-20cm crown and it broke a few 4" diameter green trees.</p>

Terrain Ridden

Dense trees, Mellow slopes, Open trees.

Terrain Avoided

Alpine slopes.

Avalanche Conditions

Slab avalanches today or yesterday.

Snow Conditions

Powder.

Weather Conditions

Cloudy, Stormy, Warm.