February 21-22, 2015, Table environs
2/21/15
2511
1
Quick TR: A gaggle of WAC BC-class groups roamed about from a base in the Artist Point parking lot. Good weather and a dusting of snow led to a substantial exceeding of our low expectations. Everyone learned lots, had fun.
Saturday: Corn on solar slopes, with a noticeable NE breeze. 1-2 cm edgeable dust bonded to crust most everywhere. Thin windslab on W-ish aspects below ridgetops; could plate it out in spots with a hard hop. Phenomenal views. Sunny west slopes skied quite well with pockets of sheltered windblown powder in mid-afternoon.
Deeper in the snowpack at Artist Point, there's easily 30 cm of knife-hard crusts, atop at least 30 cm of 1F. First time we've had snow saws be more useful than shovels for digging in a camp. Within the group, two aging shovels broke, both at the shaft/shovel junction.
Sunday: Cold overnight, lows of about -7C. Slow start to the day, as solar slopes had a slippery suncrust and other aspects were scratchy. Groups that hunted north slopes on Huntoon and Table found chalky snow most of the day. One group headed out to Ptarmigan found a little settled pow/windboard above the crust, then thin corn on solar slopes ~1pm. Thin windslab still present on Ptarmigan Ridge, slab stiffening and bonding a little better. Spontaneous rockfall on the NE side of Table Mountain at ~10 am.
Saturday: Corn on solar slopes, with a noticeable NE breeze. 1-2 cm edgeable dust bonded to crust most everywhere. Thin windslab on W-ish aspects below ridgetops; could plate it out in spots with a hard hop. Phenomenal views. Sunny west slopes skied quite well with pockets of sheltered windblown powder in mid-afternoon.
Deeper in the snowpack at Artist Point, there's easily 30 cm of knife-hard crusts, atop at least 30 cm of 1F. First time we've had snow saws be more useful than shovels for digging in a camp. Within the group, two aging shovels broke, both at the shaft/shovel junction.
Sunday: Cold overnight, lows of about -7C. Slow start to the day, as solar slopes had a slippery suncrust and other aspects were scratchy. Groups that hunted north slopes on Huntoon and Table found chalky snow most of the day. One group headed out to Ptarmigan found a little settled pow/windboard above the crust, then thin corn on solar slopes ~1pm. Thin windslab still present on Ptarmigan Ridge, slab stiffening and bonding a little better. Spontaneous rockfall on the NE side of Table Mountain at ~10 am.
On Saturday we found some pretty nice windblown powder on the run down from Herman Saddle down to Chain Lakes. Not a lot, just 4" or so in places over the hard pack, enough to make for some smooth turns.
Vastly exceeded expectations, having only headed out for the views on the expected and actual bluebird day.
An added bonus was the absence of bullhorns and LE interrogation.
Vastly exceeded expectations, having only headed out for the views on the expected and actual bluebird day.
An added bonus was the absence of bullhorns and LE interrogation.
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