Quick report
- Cracking
- isolated
- Collapsing
- isolated
Wet snow problems were the primary driver for my travel considerations for the day. Overhead & timing + aspect hazards on potential routes were on the forefront of my mind before I could even enter terrain where the persistent slab problem lives.
I only experienced isolated cracking and collapsing over wind-loaded features and in small wind deposits I traveled through.Weather
- Air Temp
- Increasing rapidly
- Cloud Cover
- clear
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Even with a near sunrise start to the day, temperatures were warm enough to have me wishing I was in even thinner soft shells by the time I was dropping off the moraine toward Profile as the sun rose higher in the sky. In the morning, winds were dead calm both on the moraine and in the Profile drainage. Solar input was high without a cloud in the sky, this along with temperatures made for MFcr on solars softening before 09:00. While winds remained mostly calm into the early afternoon where I traveled, there were small plumes of dry snow visibly blowing near ridgelines of high alpine peaks.
Snowpack
Even with a near sunrise start to the day, only 15 minutes after leaving the bunkhouse back porch was I already down to my baselayers while traveling along the moraine. Timing and wet snow issues were on the forefront of my travel considerations for the day. Many of my route options had to cross under overhead wet snow hazards before even reaching terrain where the persistent slab was a prominent consideration — especially with knowledge of past persistent slides running in February on some of the steeper slopes that I crossed. As I dropped down off the moraine into the Profile drainage, MFcr on this S/SE aspect were all but melted away — and the sun had plenty higher to rise in the sky. Popping back into the drainage and seeing wet dribbles off of rocks before 09:00, dead calm winds, being able to push around 6-8in of surficial moist snow, and feeling like I could've been in my glacier shorts with a Hawaiian shirt on before the clock struck 09:00, I decided to go with my most conservative travel option from this decision point and promptly exited Profile the way I came before wet snow issues became more of an issue.
Climbing up onto Skier's Summit for a couple laps of hot pow to mashed potatoes, I was content with my choices for the day seeing that multiple small (D1) wet loose slides had run on the slope below and even on more easterly terrain within view. The past two days have been the beginning of the first big warmup this snowpack has seen in its current state, and the start of our shift towards a big shed cycle. The nature of wet snow issues, and wet slabs in particular, leave a lot of uncertainty for us both as forecasters and as backcountry travelers. This uncertainty pointed me to have several travel options for the day, and make conservative choices to address it. With increasing temperatures in coming days, this uncertainty and the Avalanche Danger will increase, as will my margins in my travel plans. The persistent slab problem is very much still a consideration, and yesterday's slide is a good reminder of this. This meltwater from the warm up is likely to make the bonds between these layers weaken, potentially making it easier for these slides to run as well. All is to say that things are getting more dangerous out there as we enter this big warmup and shed cycle, and I will be stepping back accordingly.
Avalanche
I observed multiple 48hr+ old large to very large avalanches in the Profile drainage that Ben reported in his observation from the day prior. Many of these appeared to have failed on persistent grains in rocky alpine terrain or near the bases of cliff / aprons of colouirs. I also watched over a handful of dribbles of wet snow running downslope from rocky outcroppings. 3 smaller D1 wet loose slides ran on solar aspects during my time in the field.