Quick report
While we found generally safe avalanche conditions around the White River Canyon, firm and icy surfaces remained our most significant concern throughout the day. Aspect selection and careful timing made a big difference in the overall travel conditions & ski quality throughout the day.
We didn't observe any notable signs of instability.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 40
- Cloud Cover
- few
- Wind Loading
- none
- Recent Snowfall
- 0
- Snow Avail For Transport
- none
The winds were calm and the sun felt warm for January.
Snowpack
The snowpack has endured a beating with over a week of high pressure. Subtle changes in aspect made a significant difference in travel conditions and ski quality.
SW-SE aspects have been in a melt-freeze cycle with surface softening occurring around 11 am- noon. While the the top few inches softened, we struggled to push much wet snow on steep south-facing terrain. Boot pen averaged 4-6 inches during the heat of the day.
Shaded aspects are variable and hold pockets of old drifted snow, sastrugi, and ice.
No matter what aspect we traveled on, firm surfaces remained the common theme. We were thankful to have the ski crampons packed for more efficient travel.