Dear Mount Cokely, slabs are not the way to my heart
Quick reportBcoates · Feb 15, 2025 · Jasper
Quick report
- Weather
- stormy
- Ride Type
- alpineSlopes, openTrees
- Stayed Away
- steepSlopes, convexSlopes
- Riding Quality
- ok
- Snow Conditions
- powder, windAffected, heavy
- Avalanche Conditions
- avalancheConditionSound
Skinned up to just below Cokely summit, via Rousseau Chute. Heard some whumphing on upper section as we left tree line. Widespread cracking about 10cm deep. So very windy (from the SE) in the alpine. Dug two profiles with following results on south Aspect, 38 degree incline at 1480m ECTP21 down 31 on facet layer ECTP30+ down 64 on series of laminated rain crusts from mid Jan CTH30+ RP down 45 on facet layer It’s a real sh*t sandwich, with that upper layer of very consolidated storm/wind slab on about 25 cm of faceted, soft snow, on the foundation of January crusts. We had a delightful time skiing and riding down the ridge.
Snowpack
- Obs Type
- point
- Site Aspect
- S
- Test Fracture
- resistant
- Site Elevation
- 1480
- Test Initiation
- hard
- Cracking Observed
- 1
- Site Elevation Band
- alp
- Surface Conditions
- facets
- Whumpfing Observed
- 1
- Test Failure Layer Crystal Types
- crust, facets
Skinned up to just below Cokely summit, via Rousseau Chute. Heard some whumphing on upper section as we left tree line. Widespread cracking about 10cm deep. So very windy (from the SE) in the Alpine. Dug two profiles with following results on south Aspect, 38 degree incline at 1480m ECTP21 down 31 on facet layer ECTP30+ down 64 on series of laminated rain crusts from mid Jan CTH30+ RP down 45 on facet layer It’s a real sh*t sandwich, with that upper layer of very consolidated storm/wind slab on about 25 cm of faceted, soft snow, on the foundation of January crusts. We had a delightful time skiing and riding down the ridge.