Fast travel at Brandywine

Quick report

mconlan · Jan 20, 2021 · Brandywine

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Quick report

Weather
cloudy
Ride Type
alpineSlopes, steepSlopes
Riding Quality
OK
Snow Conditions
crusty, windAffected

It was our last day of exploring the area for the deep persistent avalanche problem, now removed from the bulletin. We saw some large avalanches that released on deeply buried weak layers but they were all likely from over a week ago. We investigated one of them near Grizzly Lake and found it to be a steep, wind-hammered slope that had a very thin snowpack (HS of around 100 cm) with faceted grains near the base. The avalanche and snow profile we did were really only representative for that type of thin snowpack and not of the deeper snowpack most commonly found in the area. From what we saw, it doesn't seem likely to be able to trigger a similar avalanche given current benign weather conditions but perhaps buried layers will become a player again with further heavy storms or spring-like conditions; time will tell. Besides that, riding conditions were mediocre, albeit fast. Yesterday's wind did its damage to the snow surface, causing a wind-pressed surface throughout the area. At elevations below the wind effect, a near-surface crust dominates. Good conditions for travelling far but not so much for playing around.