Big Blue / Big Y

Quick report

ykfieldteam · Jan 23, 2019 · Vancouver Island

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Quick report

Weather
stormy, windy, cloudy
Ride Type
mellowSlopes
Riding Quality
Good
Snow Conditions
powder
Avalanche Conditions
avalancheConditionSound

Attempting to access big blue. Overcast with very flat light. South winds ramped up from light to moderate in the afternoon. Limited visibility and flat light made us pull the pin and look at big Y instead. Open Creeks with moving water underneath are a hazard on the approach! Big enough holes to swallow a machine or person. 10 - 15cm very light new snow (HST) champagne powder being redistributed by moderate sw winds. Quick hand shear tests gave sudden planar fractures below storm snow. Ski touring up into big Y produced shooting cracks in the storm snow. In lee features, a cohesive storm slab / wind slab was forming. Great turns on low angle terrain.