Touchy windslabs

Snowpack

tristan.huber · Mar 11, 2023 · South Okanagan

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Quick report

Weather
cloudy, stormy, windy
Ride Type
mellowSlopes, denseTrees, openTrees
Stayed Away
convexSlopes, steepSlopes
Riding Quality
good
Snow Conditions
powder

Snowpack

Depth
210
Obs Type
summary
Site Aspect
NE
Test Fracture
sudden
Site Elevation
2150
Test Initiation
moderate
Cracking Observed
1
Test Failure Depth
20
Site Elevation Band
tln
Surface Conditions
newSnow
Test Failure Layer Crystal Types
crust

Very touchy windslab out there yesterday. Noticed several instances of shooting cracks and mini slab releases on our ascent and descent on the east ridge of east peak. Slab depth was variable from absent to ~30cm depending on aspect. Moderate SW winds most of the day. Northerly aspects more loaded, southerly aspects more scoured. // Quick 110cm test pit ENE aspect, 2150m, right where I pinpointed the MIN. HS ~210. CTM14 sudden planar ~20cm down. No other CT results. // I imagine this windslab will get deeper and more consequential with Mondays storm. Kept it super conservative on our ascent and descent.