Groundhog day in the Wheaton

Quick report

info · Feb 5, 2022 · Vancouver Island

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Quick report

Weather
cloudy, stormy, warm
Ride Type
denseTrees, mellowSlopes, openTrees
Stayed Away
alpineSlopes
Riding Quality
Good
Snow Conditions
powder
Avalanche Conditions
avalancheConditionSlab

When life gives you lemons (road closures), make lemonade (go to the Wheaton. Again). Summary of obs from a sled AST field day: Nice start to the day with temps in the -5C range not far above the valley floor. South wind picked up early pm and light-moderate snow started mid-afternoon. Riding conditions remain variable with a very soft wind slab underlain by increasingly large facets, depth hoar and willows. Worth going out in any case. Our group triggered a very small size 1 on a small steep feature, but otherwise found no signs of instability. Another group shared a pic of a size 1.5 triggered on a south aspect. From today, but we're unsure who/how on the trigger. 15-20cm crown and it broke a few 4" diameter green trees.

Avalanche

See pic. Reported by a 2nd party but unknown who triggered it.

1 photo