Quick report
On Sunday, we skied low angle slopes in the Blue Creek drainage. We toured up into the alpine and dug a pit on a NE aspect at 8,400 ft. At this location, we located a persistent slab structure in this area, finding that the top 12 inches of snow was sitting on a layer of buried surface hoar. Our compression test failed on this layer after the first tap from the elbow (CT11 RP). Our extended column test failed part way across the column on the same layer (ECTN18). After noticing this poor structure, and evidence of wind scouring at ridgetops, we backed off of steep northerly terrain and continued to ride lower angle slopes on shaded aspects.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 45
- Cloud Cover
- clear
- Wind Loading
- none
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Calm and clear weather for the last couple days has left us seeing significant warming of solar aspects, melting snow, cornice failures, and natural avalanche debris piles below some steep couloirs.
Snowpack
We saw evidence of persistent slab structure near the surface of the snowpack, down 10-12 inches on northerly aspects near treeline and in the alpine. Small wet loose avalanches were observed on solar aspects. We also noticed a cornice collapse which entrained a significant amount of snow.
Avalanche
Saw large amount of debris from an avalanche that occurred naturally on the east face of Cornucopia Peak. Crown could not be seen but the start zone is imagined to be in the upper part of a large couloir containing multiple aspects. Cornice failures and wet loose avalanches continue to become problems as the warm weather persists.