East Stevens

Quick report

Weather

sunny, warm

Ride Type

alpineSlopes, openTrees

Stayed Away

convexSlopes, steepSlopes

Riding Quality

ok

Snow Conditions

hard, powder, windAffected

Avalanche Conditions

avalancheConditionSlab, avalancheConditionSound, avalancheConditionTemp

We sledded into the Paddy's area to take a look at the east face of Mt. Stevens. Coverage is good back there but overall snow depth is average, with lots of wind exposed areas shallow and plenty of sharks to avoid. There are significant wind slabs on all alpine aspects, and we remote triggered to size 1.5-2 slides on a wind loaded convexity about 100 m away. Temperature was around 0 at 1500 m, 5-6 c at valley bottom (800 m). While skinning, we experienced several whumphs; the snowpack in this area is touchy and shallow. The ski terrain is generally complex with a lot of overhead exposure once you commit to the run. After a few turns we settled instead for sitting in the sun and taking in the views.