Not Geneviève's First Rodeo on Fraser Peak

<p>From the AST2 Class. Team Powder Chaser skied the north face of Fraser Peak. The team chose to climb the wind affected east ridge and opted for a shorter run from a lower shoulder to investigate conditions. The team was suspicious of wind slab on north aspects and managed the immediate lee of the ridge conservatively. The skiing was amazeballs. Boot top powder from ridge top to lake. We then decided to climb straight up the face of Fraser peak (aka The Big Kahuna) and observed that the wind slab which had been touchy just just 24hrs earlier was now quite stubborn. In the top pitch of the climb, the track setter detected buried wind slab on a firm surface. They pulled hand shears and found a planar interface with a 40cm slab on top that was stiffening with elevation. This change in the snowpack prompted a decision to ski from below the summit in what would be excellent powder once again. The decent was SA-WEET and half the group opted for the skiers left line that is quite steep and convex. No signs of instability were detected on the decent. The north wind held off until days' end and viz was great. Note: cornices are looming large and we did note a dinning room table size chunk that had broken off in the wind storm the previous day. </p>

Terrain Ridden

Alpine slopes, Convex slopes, Steep slopes.

Avalanche Conditions

Slab avalanches today or yesterday.

Snow Conditions

Powder.

Weather Conditions

Cloudy, Cold, Sunny.