Quick report
Surprisingly few roller balls today, but one small skier triggered loose wet on a 35 degree slope with a SW aspect at 5000' Evidence of a much larger older avalanche in a steep valley just east of Monitor Peak Intense sunshine softened snow at least a foot down.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 50 F at 2600' , 26 F on the Rim
- Cloud Cover
- clear
- Wind Loading
- moderate
- Rain Elevation
- N/A
- Recent Snowfall
- 0
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Thin high clouds, intense sunlight, and light winds. By afternoon, sunlight had softened all the snow below 7000' that was hard in the AM and caused some softening from 7000 to 8250.
Snowpack
Base to tree line at 4500'. Old icy shallow snow 4" to 2'. 4500-5800'. Post holed from Thursday climbers but hard crusted AM. Afternoon melting had climbers sinking 1-2' 6000-7600': Hard with no footprints AM but afternoon melting had climbers sinking 1-2' 7600 to Rim (8250'). Soft AM and PM. 1-2 feet of wind transported new snow over the hard early-Feb crust. Snow drifts and wind scoured areas. Big cornices on east aspects of all ridges along the route. Rim: Cornice more fragile and farther over air than usual.
Avalanche
One fresh loose wet in a steep valley at about 5,000'. Skier triggered. Not large enough to trap a skier on this terrain