Up top Summit Cr.

Quick report

Weather

warm, stormy

Ride Type

sunnySlopes

Stayed Away

steepSlopes, convexSlopes

Riding Quality

amazing

Snow Conditions

deepPowder

Avalanche Conditions

avalancheConditionSnow, avalancheConditionTemp

Sledded up to top of Summit Creek via the bowling alley Saturday. Late afternoon the blue sky was slowly pushed out by high overcast and N wind switched to S up high. Riding was excellent! Consistent 40 + cm storm snow settled to 4F felt a bit cakey lower elevations. Step off the sled it was thigh deep in the mid alpine where riding was best. We observed debris from 2 similar natural avalanches that look to have run mid-storm. From east facing corniced ridge at 1600 m: narrow paths 30 m wide, 200-300 m long. Storm slab, no step down observed. See photo. At 1600 m on glacier, we sunk a probe =over 350 cm plus snowpack, with 10 cm lighter snow on 35 cm 4F +. This storm snow is all sitting on a bulletproof P+ hard surface. Easy hand shear between storm snow and this firm slick interface on a south aspect. We avoided slopes over 30 degrees and convexities today, so we decided not to drop down the glaciated south slope onto the tabletop glacier. It seemed a bit more loaded and convex than we remember from previous years. And there was so much powder to be had elsewhere we didn’t need to push terrain. Freezing level looked to be around 1000 m today and it stayed warm at valley bottom right til sunset even after it clouded over.