AST 1 at Hudson Bay

Quick report

Weather

cloudy, sunny, windy

Ride Type

mellowSlopes, openTrees, sunnySlopes

Stayed Away

alpineSlopes

Riding Quality

good

Snow Conditions

powder, windAffected

We had a great AST 1 in the Prairie today! Snow in the glades is still soft and not too wind affected. We experienced moderate southwest winds, scattered/broken skies, and no new snow. No new avalanche activity was noted in the Crater Lake area. We dug a snow profile at 1600m on a south aspect. The early-Feb crust was down 60 cm. Just above the crust, we found a few centimeters of 4F rounding facets (1 mm). Compression Test (CT): No results. Extended Column Test (ECT): No results. Although we identified a crust/facet interface around 60 cm down, our tests did not show reactivity at this location. We discussed how crust/facet combinations can act as persistent weak layers and why they warrant ongoing attention, even when test results are unreactive. No signs of instability (recent avalanches, whumpfing, or cracking) were observed in our immediate area today.