Mt. Emmons

Some terrain still requires caution above ~10,500' where slabs remain supportive under skis.  In all but the most heavily drifted features (isolated drifts with 1F hard slab), these slabs are soft and faceting, but we still observed a few collapses and unstable pit results, both in drifted and non-drifted terrain.  

We observed a handful of small collapses (radiating about 10 feet), most often on drifted features. The most notable sign of instability was a rumbling collapse that ran slope-wide about 100 feet triggered by the 3rd skier. This was on a fairly sheltered slope around 11,000', NW aspect, HS around 70 cm.

We found a mix of stable and unstable pit results targeting both drifted and non-drifted terrain features.  The 11/30 facet layer was typically 1-1.5mm in size, F hard in all of these pits. Slabs became trapdoor and punchy below about 10,500, remained supportive to skis above that. 

• E aspect RLB, 11,700' (located above several persistent slabs that ran a week ago, and this slope had numerous cracks on it):  ECTN22, ~45 cm soft slab (4F-).
• E aspect RLB, 12,000' (leeward drifted feature): ECTP12, ~50cm hard slab (1F)
• NW aspect Redwell,  11,600' (cross-drifted feature): ECTN29 ~60cm hard to soft slab (1F+ down to 4F-)
• N aspect Redwell, 10,900' (fairly sheltered feature, similar slope produced a rumbling collapse a few hundred feet away):  ECTP19 ~55 cm soft slab (4F- to 4F)