No Wind-Shallow Snowpack

Quick report

jcinthemts · Jan 5, 2017 · Northwest Inland

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Quick report

Weather
cold, sunny
Ride Type
mellowSlopes, convexSlopes, openTrees
Riding Quality
OK
Snow Conditions
windAffected, powder
Avalanche Conditions
avalancheConditionSound

Not quite enough snow for fun, so we had to make our own :) Track of sled could easily penetrate the entire weak, unconsolidated snowpack (50-100cm in most places) and hit obstacles below. Even with skis on, we were often breaking through old thin buried windslabs into sugary snow making for difficult travel. At 2250 m we found the upper snowpack was a combination of recent storm snow and thin windslabs (you could step right through them if you got off your skis or sled). The lower snowpack was a scary combination of weak sugary crystals and a crust near the ground. We got a couple of whumpfs on ridge type features where the snow was a little bit stiffer.