Blowing on the Sherwin Ridge

I walked, sometimes skinned, along the top of the Sherwin Ridge to the top of Red Peak above Punta Bardini to track wind slab development and look at the persistent slab structure.

• I remotely triggered a wind slab avalanche from a flat sport on the ridge behind a clump of krummholz. I also consistently got cracking and small slabs to break out on wind-drifted slopes.
• I had planned to dig as high as possible for the persistent slab problem, but I found that the tops of peaks in this area, Pyramid Peak for example, had a snowpack that was still interspersed with rock. The snowpack up high was variable depending on the history of wind loading or stripping so far this season - very inconsistent.
• The depth hoar at the bottom of the snowpack is consistently covered by stiff slabs near treeline, and just downslope from the tops of peaks. It is still demonstrating its instability - propagating in tests. The scary thing about that is that it's hit and miss in starting zones, but can be triggered mid-slope or from a smaller wind slab sliding down from above.

The snow cover at upper elevations varies significantly depending on the history of wind-loading and stripping earlier this season. The snowpack is most consistent downslope from the tops of peaks in this area - which is also where the persistent slab problem is alive and well.

I planned to dig in up high, but the snowpack was too variable. When I went a little way downslope near treeline I found a more uniform snowpack with the December depth hoar at the bottom of the snowpack under a hard slab. I got propagation in the depth hoar in my snowpack test.