Quick report
- Red Flags
- Rapid Warming, Poor Snowpack Structure
There is a pretty good ice layer at the trailhead for the z connector, with a fairly supportable 2-3in pencil hard rain/sleet crust up to at least 7200' (our high point for the evening) with about 1-3 feet of 4f/fist faceting snow underneath. This snow was not consolidating, even after teams of 15 passed through up and down. We didn't dig a full pit because we had other obligations to attend to but the strong layer over faceting snow raised a bit of concern. It is supportable and relatively stable now but if the crust gets wet or we get a good loading event it might be more cause for concern.
Otherwise a nice calm and not too cold evening up in the couloir. Crampons/ice axe and helmet are recommended for travel in the chute at the moment.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>While walking up the couloir this evening we noticed plenty of signs of recent wet activity coming off the steep faces on either side of the couloir. Rollerballs and pin wheels in the gully and two small wet slides that had piled up in the bottom of the chute. </p> <p>A good reminder that, although we are generally concerned about the pwl, we still need to be cognizant of what is getting warm and might have a different aspect above us as the chute proper is NNW but the rocky faces above recurve a lot more sun. </p>