Apex Backcountry Jan 26 to 30

Quick report

Ride Type

sunnySlopes, openTrees, alpineSlopes, mellowSlopes, cutBlocks, denseTrees, convexSlopes, steepSlopes

Riding Quality

good

Snow Conditions

windAffected, powder

Avalanche Conditions

avalancheConditionSlab

20 cm of very low density snow accompanied by easterly winds made for some instabilities in the upper pack this week. There were several small natural, skier accidental and skier controlled avalanches to sz 1 on east and north aspects in steeper, wind loaded terrain at treeline. Zorro trees in particular was quite reactive to skier traffic on Weds and Thurs. Open alpine slopes have been wind scoured and are not holding much snow. Depths are extremely variable. HS is 135cm in sheltered areas, trending deeper and better to ski in lower elevations. Shallow start zones were showing signs of significant faceting with the cooler temps this week. Clear weather on Friday led to significant surface hoar development, which is likely to be preserved by the light snowfall on Saturday. Lots of people out enjoying the backcountry this week too, of varying degrees of experience. Watch for folks unfamiliar with the area skinning up under prone slopes or in areas you wouldn't expect to see. JS