Aspects more exposed to direct sunlight (SE-S-SW-W) were softer and wetter than yesterday, but the snowpack was supportable at 3PM when we left the field. Shadier slopes were soft corn skiing. We saw a few small slides (see details below). None were big enough to bury people, but the sun + lighter freeze + heat resulted in water moving deeper into the snowpack than yesterday.
No breeze to help keep the snow surface cool today.
# | Date | Location | Size | Type | Bed Sfc | Depth | Trigger | Comments | Photo |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Croy - above the winter parking area at the end of the plowed road N 6300 |
D1 | O-Old Snow | N-Natural | Slide involved the windblow snow from earlier this week, just under a cornice/wind lip. The heat/sun appeared to cause the small avalanche. |
![]() |
|||
1 |
Croy - just downstream of the avalanche above N 6000' |
D1 | O-Old Snow | N-Natural | Small slide, wind-loaded area. | None | |||
1 |
Quigley - Patterson Peak area NW 7200' |
D1 | WL | O-Old Snow | N-Natural | Small wet loose slide originating near a large exposed rock. | None |
3-8cm of soft, wet snow (corn) at the surface. The crust(s) below the wet snow were damp, and I could push a pole handle through them to the still-moist snow below the crusts.
Wet issues were minor from 12-3 PM, but there was a chance there could have been more small wet loose slides late this afternoon and this evening. It felt downright hot out there with the lack of wind and thin high clouds.
We skied avalanche terrain. By 3 PM, we would have avoided very steep slopes (40*) on the southern half of the compass where the paths ended in ugly terrain traps.