Galena Peak
Quick report
- Collapsing
- isolated
We only experienced one isolated collapse on our ascent in a wind-affected feature near 10,000'. Cracking extending just 5-10cm out from our skis on the summit ridge in isolated small pockets of wind-affected snow that broke no deeper than 10-12cm.
Weather
- Cloud Cover
- broken
- Wind Loading
- previous
- Recent Snowfall
- 10-15 cm
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Broken clouds made for a mix of flat cloudy light with sun breaks dotted in many locations around us, to short-lived pockets of full sunshine. Sun came out for more extended periods after 14:30 to the point of moistening snow near valley bottom (below 8600'). 0-15cm of new snow in non-wind affected locations. Mid-slope surfaces in both bowls (NW & SW) were rippled with texture from wind effect. New dunes & growing cornices on the W ridge that weren't present 48hrs prior proved the wind shifted direction and had been at work during our brief storm.
Snowpack
The rough, textured surfaces in the alpine made for the 10-15cm of new snow to bond better than expected to old surfaces despite their firmer characteristics. Above 10,100', HN sat on top of a mix between a grippy, aerated MFcr that was more than edgeable for skinning on the S side of the W ridge, to very hard-packed and polished firm surfaces on the N. The shift in winds from SE-S-SW to NW was evident based on new loading on the ridge and the direction of surface textures in both bowls (NW & SW) in the past 48hrs.
On northwesterly exposed terrain near 11,100', we primarily found HN 10-15. More protected mid-slope features held 15-25cm of new, (mostly) soft/ not windpressed snow on top of a thick, supportable MFcr from prior to the storm. While we were in prime terrain to encounter a wind slab, we did not produce instabilities that ran farther than the length of our skies in terrain we traveled. Surfaces below 10,100 had some light and variable wind effect in select locations. The MFcr below the new snow was stout and always supportable even on solars. With the sun coming out for more sustained periods as we descended farther in elevation toward 8600', we started to feel the upper 10-12cm (new snow) of the snowpack moistening.
Springtime is here and the feeling you thought you had forgotten is near: the snowpack is inching closer, day by day, towards low danger in this zone (not accounting for the incoming storm later this week). Steep, upper elevation, rocky / thin, wind-swept terrain still is where the majority of our uncertainty lies. Yet even with 15cm of new snow on top, we did not experience wind slabs that extended outward from our skis. These surficial instabilities are settling out as we also move farther away from natural and human-triggered dry persistent slab activity.
Avalanche
- Size
- D2
- Aspect
- NE
- Trigger
- N
- Elevation
- 7800 ft
We observed one slightly older persistent slab avalanche on the N/NE ascent ridge near 7800'. It was just adjacent to a skintrack, though without more information it would be hard to know for sure if it was a ASr or N trigger.