12-19-08, table mtn.
12/19/08
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
5863
5
Lots of people in the backcountry around Baker today. Both the snow and the weather were excellant. I did 4 laps on Table this afternoon; deep light powder, there were a few rocks and creek holes, but I didn't hit any. The stability was pretty good... although I must admit, I should have taken a closer look, and done some shear and compression tests...
Should be really good coverage up there after the nukeage this weekend.
Should be really good coverage up there after the nukeage this weekend.
Were the slopes wind-loaded on the southwest aspects?
Are there any southwest aspects on Table that are skiable?
Got a couple laps up there today (north face Table, and the south face of oposite hill), Again many people were laying down tracks far and wide in the Baker bc. There was some very small isolated pockets of shallow windslab at the highest elevations.
I included a pic I took from the skin track just a little ways outside of the parking lot, then my new camera batteries died from the cold. Snow was again dry and deep unconsolidated pow with a few hidden terrain obstacles lurking about (today my ski got a nasty core shot).
Jasminem -- I did not notice any heavy sw windloading, there were cornices above some of the north faceing shots. From the sounds of the forecast of the impending storm - it sounds like most sw aspects(among others) in the Cascades will be heavily loaded. Tommorow would be a good day to stick to low angle terrain well away from any avi paths.
I included a pic I took from the skin track just a little ways outside of the parking lot, then my new camera batteries died from the cold. Snow was again dry and deep unconsolidated pow with a few hidden terrain obstacles lurking about (today my ski got a nasty core shot).
Jasminem -- I did not notice any heavy sw windloading, there were cornices above some of the north faceing shots. From the sounds of the forecast of the impending storm - it sounds like most sw aspects(among others) in the Cascades will be heavily loaded. Tommorow would be a good day to stick to low angle terrain well away from any avi paths.
I can't wait to head N - thanks for the awesome report, as usual!
Skied a few shots up on Table today. First was a westish facing shot from the approach ridge (there was not a whole lot of new snow on this aspect, then I did a couple laps on the "brow" or "prow" of Table (north facing). The NWAC assessment of the snowpack seemed to be right on - with about a foot to 1/2 foot of pow on top about a foot of varying density consolidated windpack (fist to pencil) which is all resting on the old unconsolidated pow and various older layers next to the ground. The layer of dense wind slab was not reactive.
I will take a closer look with my makeshift snow-science-kit soon - (btw - you can get most of the snow kit items at a hardware store for pennies relative to the amount you'd have to pay at REI. e.g - a protractor with a paper clip is as good as a 30$ inclinometer - meat thermometer is the same as an expensive snow kit one - (except it is in F instead of C.) Last year I made a rutschblock saw by glueing and screwing a bandsaw-like blade to a metal yardstick - tipped by a screwed on sawsall blade.)
Anyhow avi conditions should be getting spicy this weekend with all the new warm snow on-top of a continental like snow pack.
I will take a closer look with my makeshift snow-science-kit soon - (btw - you can get most of the snow kit items at a hardware store for pennies relative to the amount you'd have to pay at REI. e.g - a protractor with a paper clip is as good as a 30$ inclinometer - meat thermometer is the same as an expensive snow kit one - (except it is in F instead of C.) Last year I made a rutschblock saw by glueing and screwing a bandsaw-like blade to a metal yardstick - tipped by a screwed on sawsall blade.)
Anyhow avi conditions should be getting spicy this weekend with all the new warm snow on-top of a continental like snow pack.
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