Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Rapid Warming
As we ascended Y Couloir we noticed some pockety wind slabs on the skiers right side. At 8500ft we came across a large wind slab that spanned the entire couloir which caused us to stop and reassess. This slab was thicker (about four inches) and firmer than what we had seen below. The slope is steeper here and with new snow coming in we decided to bail. We booted down the wind slab and then skied from about 8000ft all the way to the base. During our transition the sun came out and on the descent we witnessed several roller balls and wet sluffs. The softened snow made for great skiing.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>There were some pockety areas of wind slab on the skiers right side of the couloir at and below 8000ft. At 8500ft the couloir steepens and is more exposed to wind. Here, we found the entire slope to have a four inch wind slab. </p> <p>Within 10 minutes of the sun being out we saw roller balls and wet sluffs. Some of these wet sluffs would have been enough to catch a skier. One wet sluff ran off the cliff above and into the couloir. </p>