Dec 26, 2007, Blueberry, Mt. Baker
12/26/07
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
2260
0
I just wanted to post some info. on the snow, in light of today's forecasts.
A brief discussion with one of the Baker patrollers on the way up revealed lots of small avalanches of the new snow running fast and easy. Galena creek had a long fracture line, ~ 30cm it looked like, and there were a couple visible on Panface on the way up the cat-track. I had skied on Monday as well, and on the way out, the new snow was releasing easily on lee slopes, that is NE-N slopes that we passed over.
Given this, and the fact that I was solo, my plan was to go dig a pit, and do some slope cuts, and perhaps just ski in the area.
However, my pit on a lower angle S slope, suggested otherwise. I dug down to the Dec. 3 crust. It was well over 2m deep. The pit wall was 40cm new storm snow, then 4 finger to over 1m, then 1 finger to some sugary snow that was 4 fingers, maybe 10-12 cm thick, then the raincrust. This was a solid 7cm layer, but had a rotten 10-12cm layer below. Maybe something to consider in a shallow, or spring snowpack.
Compression test did not budge the column. In the end I pounded on the shovel. A few lines appeared in likely the storm interfaces, but did not shear. I repeated the CT, with the same results. Shear tests did not release cleanly on any layers.
So with this, I proceeded to do some cuts, which did not release. I then skied SE slopes all day, and it did not suck :).
The raincrust, with the layer below, would make me not want a spring cornice to fall on my noggin'.
Hope this will help some. Please feel free to correct anything, as it is my first TR here. Thanks.
A brief discussion with one of the Baker patrollers on the way up revealed lots of small avalanches of the new snow running fast and easy. Galena creek had a long fracture line, ~ 30cm it looked like, and there were a couple visible on Panface on the way up the cat-track. I had skied on Monday as well, and on the way out, the new snow was releasing easily on lee slopes, that is NE-N slopes that we passed over.
Given this, and the fact that I was solo, my plan was to go dig a pit, and do some slope cuts, and perhaps just ski in the area.
However, my pit on a lower angle S slope, suggested otherwise. I dug down to the Dec. 3 crust. It was well over 2m deep. The pit wall was 40cm new storm snow, then 4 finger to over 1m, then 1 finger to some sugary snow that was 4 fingers, maybe 10-12 cm thick, then the raincrust. This was a solid 7cm layer, but had a rotten 10-12cm layer below. Maybe something to consider in a shallow, or spring snowpack.
Compression test did not budge the column. In the end I pounded on the shovel. A few lines appeared in likely the storm interfaces, but did not shear. I repeated the CT, with the same results. Shear tests did not release cleanly on any layers.
So with this, I proceeded to do some cuts, which did not release. I then skied SE slopes all day, and it did not suck :).
The raincrust, with the layer below, would make me not want a spring cornice to fall on my noggin'.
Hope this will help some. Please feel free to correct anything, as it is my first TR here. Thanks.
Reply to this TR
Please login first: