Mount Osceola, Steaming Gift Slides

Sky Condition: FEW. Wind Speed/Dir: M/NW, Precip: NO, Air Temp: N/O. HS: ~40cm-80cm depending on the spot. Snow surfaces in all 4 slides were generally wind affected, with significant wind scouring near the tops of slides. In general there was good snow cover with occasional rocks/ice bulges that were exposed or thinly covered. Near the top of the NE slide we observed shooting cracks on kick turns, failing on facets above the 20260110 crust. This same isolated cracking on facets occurred at the top of another nearby slide, the W facing slide on South Whaleback Mountain, a few weeks ago. Last week, we dug multiple pits near Crawford Path and Mount Willard where we also observed sudden results on 2mm facets above 20260110. While this layer hasn’t produced any avalanches, it’s something worth keeping an eye on as cold temps persist. While this snowpack structure exists primarily in the low elevations of the Mount Washington forecast zone, where terrain is lower angle with little connectivity, outside the forecast zone, in slides with a similarly shallow snowpack, but on steeper terrain with much more connectivity, it’s worth keeping an eye out.

Quick report