Hankin

bryanmitchell.07 , Saturday 28th December, 2024 11:15AM

A toodle at Hankin yielded better than expected skiing. Some debris from wind slabs (cornice triggered?) from the last 48-72hours was present in N and NNE slopes. We tested a few slopes on our way into the alpine, and did not observe any signs of instability. The upper snow pack appears to be bonding well to early December crust here. Lots of stiff wind slabs can be found, and need to be managed appropriately. We threaded the needle between wind loaded N, and NNE slopes, and wind scoured NW and W slopes in cabin bowl. The main gut (NNW) of cabin bowl was holding soft snow with a subtle wind skin, and is fairly well supported. Signs of wind slabs avalanches from the last 48-72hours was present in N and NNE slopes. Debris piles were at the top of runouts and included big stove sized blocks. The ski out down run #4 felt fine for December. The recent accumulation of snow has improved the ski quality, although more is needed to fill the holes in.