Mount Russel

Quick report

R Newcombe · Feb 12, 2021 · North Island

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Quick report

Weather
cold, windy
Ride Type
denseTrees, openTrees
Stayed Away
alpineSlopes
Riding Quality
Good
Snow Conditions
deepPowder, windAffected

20cm@ 600m, 1m@ 1000m, 3m@ 1350m Logging road had a thick crust with 3cm powder on top. Significant cracks and whumpfs between 700-900m (see third pic). 70km/h plus winds (from the east) greeted us when we gained Russell’s south ridge. Decided not to summit due to winds. Skied west glades which skied well with 10cm powder on a easily broken crust that wasn’t too noticeable while skiing. So signs of natural avalanche activity. Skiing did not trigger anything. Snow seemed quite stable.

Weather

Wind was 70km/h + in the alpine. In the trees it was moving some snow but not near as much as the alpine