Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Cracking, Collapsing, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Whumphville out there today. In our first up track, more than a dozen very clear collapses, including two that had me waiting for the snow to run. We read the forecast, and were keeping it conservative, never on anything steeper than 24. Had whumphing on the second lap up, and the third and the fourth. All on the same up track. A clear reminder that just because something has tracks on it, it does not mean it is safe. It might just be waiting for the next trigger. We supplied that repeatedly. Exact same skin track. On the later laps the sounds of the whumphs often came for farther and farther out. Remote triggering on the skin track, fortunately on benign terrain. </p>
Snow depth varied from about 65 cm to about 90 cm on northeast facing between 8,700 feet and 9,200 feet. Collapses on the skin track would frequently cause the top 30cm-40cm to try to pull out. A hasty pit at 8,700 feet NE facing showed a crust about 40 cm from the ground with loose unconsolidated below and a 30cm-40cm slab of dense snow above. The slab moved quite easily.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Collapsing, poles punching to the ground, boots penetrating to the ground .... That base layer is junk, and will not support the weight of new snow on top. It is just waiting for a trigger, and today it didn't take much.</p> <p>Sunday afternoon the wind is transporting a lot of snow. East-facing ridgelines in steep terrain will likely be very sensitive Monday morning. </p>
On East through NE facing at 8,700 feet to 9,200 feet. The snow started out fairly light, but the sun caused everything to get heavy. The lower elevation snow was quite heavy by 2 P.M. Skinning was an exercise in balance, patience and subtle movements. Every pole plant all day was quite happy to go all the way to the ground. Frequent random break-throughs of skis on the skin track kept you paying attention. With subtle turns, skis never broke through on the descents, and turns were predictable and fun.