January 28, 2013, Mt. Baker sidecountry
1/28/13
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
3061
2
Testing some new gear, skinned up to base of table and followed skin track out, but pointed at most moderate blueberry chute. When it rolled from 20 to abt 25-30 degrees set 20 foot cracks off right and left. Transitioned and headed back up, around, and out, avoiding anything high angle N facing. With the layer now about 2 feet down, and the new on top, things are poised to move.
Thanks for the heads up. Did you see many skiers taking their chances out there? With more snow falling today through Wednesday, and warming later in the week, it doesn't appear that things will be getting any less spicy anytime soon. I'm ready for another cold high pressure like new years week again.
To add a few points of data:
On Saturday (Jan 26) I was riding a few of the lift accessed side country lines and dug a couple of hasty pits. With a hand shear I was able to pop off a consolidated slab of snow on a planar layer about 14" down from the surface. This was not on the previouse crust. The snow density fell very similar above and below the layer that failed. Ski cutting did not produce any results and we did not observe any propagation but sluff was running fat and fast.
On Sunday (Jan 27) I rode the same area and saw similar snow characteristics. A friend wanted to hike higher and I agreed to go with him (I should have listened to my gut). We broke trail up the last two humps on Hemishperes and on the last one we started to get shooting cracks from the tips of the snowboard in a self belay position. We lost all visibility and rode the mellowest line out that we could working our way down bench to bench and got out of there. Nothing moved on us that we could see but if something went sympathetically we would only have heard it.
Somebody mentioned Darwin in another thread, he certainly would have had something to say about us.
On Saturday (Jan 26) I was riding a few of the lift accessed side country lines and dug a couple of hasty pits. With a hand shear I was able to pop off a consolidated slab of snow on a planar layer about 14" down from the surface. This was not on the previouse crust. The snow density fell very similar above and below the layer that failed. Ski cutting did not produce any results and we did not observe any propagation but sluff was running fat and fast.
On Sunday (Jan 27) I rode the same area and saw similar snow characteristics. A friend wanted to hike higher and I agreed to go with him (I should have listened to my gut). We broke trail up the last two humps on Hemishperes and on the last one we started to get shooting cracks from the tips of the snowboard in a self belay position. We lost all visibility and rode the mellowest line out that we could working our way down bench to bench and got out of there. Nothing moved on us that we could see but if something went sympathetically we would only have heard it.
Somebody mentioned Darwin in another thread, he certainly would have had something to say about us.
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