Wendy Thompson Jaunt out

Avalanche

k.hanak · Feb 15, 2022 · Duffey

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Quick report

Weather
warm, sunny
Ride Type
alpineSlopes, mellowSlopes, denseTrees, sunnySlopes
Stayed Away
steepSlopes, convexSlopes
Riding Quality
amazing
Snow Conditions
windAffected, powder

Spent 2 days out at the hut checking out the area. Conditions were far better then expected, especially on the east and north facing aspects. The first day we checked out the snow, dug a pit and rode low angle slopes around the hut. We spent day 2 heading toward Mt. Marriot to check it out. The sun affected slopes made for some not ideal side hilling but it was minimal. About 10-20cm of ski pen on wind loaded ridges made for great skinning. We had to bootpack up a solar slope to gain a high ridge that was perfect softness for good steps later in the day. We then rode low angle back to the hut. On our way out we had some minimal cracking underfoot, a 2-5cm wind slab on a unsupported slope. We skied trees with deep pow to the lake.

Weather

Wind Speed
windSpeedLight
Blowing Snow
light
Sky Condition
fewClouds
Snowfall Rate
1
New Snow24 Hours
3
Temperature Trend
steady
Precipitation Type
snow

Skies were clear for our 2 day trip with some minimal snow at night.

Snowpack

Depth
320
Obs Type
summary
Site Aspect
NE
Test Fracture
resistant
Site Elevation
2060
Test Initiation
moderate
Cracking Observed
1
Test Failure Depth
20
Site Elevation Band
alp
Surface Conditions
variable, facets, newSnow, crust
Test Failure Layer Crystal Types
facets

We dug a pit yesterday on a NE aspect at 2060m and found a reactive layer about 10-20cm down. CTM 13 down 20 on facets (or possible graupel). This layer responded as Easy to shovel shear test, no propagation on extended column and we also did a propagation saw test about 1m down to what seemed like a Mid-late Jan crust with facets, no propagation.

Avalanche

Run Length
150
Trigger Type
natural
Avalanche Size
2
Start Zone Aspect
SW
Avalanche Character
looseWet
Number Of Avalanches
2-5
Start Zone Elevation
1800
Avalanche Observation
moreThan48hrsAgo
Start Zone Elevation Band
alp, tln
Avalanche Occurrence Datetime
2022-02-15T16:00:00

Several size 1 to 2 wet loose avalanches starting from rocks on the steep SW slopes prior to the Marriot basin. We crossd several parties and that said these were old. We, as well as the other party at the hut, saw no avanche activity from 13-16 Feb while travelling the area.