Highwood/Pocaterra

Quick report

Weather

sunny, cold

Stayed Away

convexSlopes

Riding Quality

good

Snow Conditions

windAffected, powder, crusty

Clear skies, no wind to speak of. Clouds at the peaks were barely moving. Opposite of what conditions were like driving in from the north. Temp stayed around -12c all day. North face of Highwood Ridge is thin. Lots of earth on terrain high points. Only 5-10cm powder on ice crust. East face of Mt. Pocaterra (where the pit was dug) ~30 degree slope at 2435m, ~1 m total depth, 10-15 loose on a crust. West side Pocaterra Ridge good skiing, ice & sharks near bottom. S/SE side Pocaterra Ridge good skiing. Tracked out but still some to be had. Watch for sharks below where the ridge drops off.

Weather

Avg Temp

-12

Wind Speed

windSpeedLight

Blowing Snow

none

Sky Condition

clear

Wind Direction

W

Temperature Trend

steady

Precipitation Type

none

Snowpack

Depth

100

Obs Type

point

Site Aspect

E

Test Fracture

resistant

Site Elevation

2435

Ski Penetration

8

Test Initiation

moderate

Foot Penetration

95

Test Failure Depth

35

Site Elevation Band

alp

Surface Conditions

newSnow

Test Failure Layer Crystal Types

stormSnow

Foot penetrated easily through all layers to grade. Depth was 70-100cm deep from side to side due to uneven ground. Non-planar break @ 15cm on wrist #7 Resistant-planar @ 35cm on elbow #7 Cleared snow above 35cm and continued with shoulder taps. Unreactive. Noticed a 1” empty crack between layers about 15cm from surface. (See picture #3)