Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Wind Loading, Cracking, Collapsing
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>The avalanches from yesterday left us suspicious and conservative in our route selection, abandoning plans for Rodeo Ridge and Chilly Peak. Wind loading and snow transport were evident across the Cutler zone, and while we did observe some cracking and one whumpf, we did not find much in the way of reactive test slopes despite a few attempts. Wind loaded terrain seemed to be somewhere between stubborn and reactive. The one observed whumpf was N facing just below 8000ft and despite being at a roll in the low 30 degree range did not slide. A small pocket (5 feet wide x 4 feet x 4 inches deep) at a steep spot in a gully fractured from a small crack overlying a crust on a N facing slope around 6400ft.</p>
Wind effects were the greatest concern today. Observed moderate hazard along our travel route, likely similar for tomorrow. Photo of the small pocket release.
Snowpack
The powder seems to have all but gone. Snow surface is all the types of wind-jacked, from low to mid elevations. I suspect as much at upper elevations judging by the rooster tails on the ridge and large cornices, but we didn't feel a strong desire to venture into the upper elevation winds to find out for sure. Sheltered terrain offered riding in dense but fun surface snow. Anything exposed is scalloped, scoured, sastrugi, wind crust, wind slab, etc., with more developing readily throughout the day. By early afternoon the low elevation snow surface was getting damp and grabby as well but did not observe any loose wet instabilities.