ACC BIT Field Day

Quick report

John S · Mar 4, 2023 · White Pass West

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Quick report

Weather
cloudy, windy
Ride Type
mellowSlopes
Stayed Away
alpineSlopes, convexSlopes, steepSlopes
Riding Quality
OK
Snow Conditions
deepPowder, hard, windAffected
Avalanche Conditions
avalancheConditionSnow

First field day for ACC Backcountry Intro to Touring program. Headed up to Fraser Lake to discuss terrain, dug a pit on a small slope in the gulch, and did some beacon practice in the gravel pit. Winds were fairly strong all day. Witnessed a sled trigger a size 1 wind slab on one of the small SW gulch slopes. Good real life demonstration. Also observed older, partially covered debris in many spots on the south aspects of the gulch. Snowpack was 200-220cm where we dug a pit. SE aspect, ~1000m, ~25deg. Got 3 results on an ECT. Thin, surface wind slab (~10cm?) propagated upon cutting the column. Then non-propagating, non-planar results on what seemed like the new snow interface below and another on the crust below that. Can't remember the exact number of taps for each, was a demonstration of layers, not an instability analysis.

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