March 15
Area:
Alta guard station to Porter Fork
Location:
Alta to Cardiff to Butler to Mill A to the summit of Gobblers down the Cabin run traversed and out Porter Fork.
Elevations, slope angles and aspects:
6200’-10400’, angles to 40° all aspects.
Avalanche activity:
Infamous 3 o'clock slide southeast facing Flagstaff.
Holy Moly massif just west of Holy Toledo.
Recent slides in Argenta, west facing chute off the top of Kessler,
Upper Mineral, all of the upper bowl west and northwest facing extending onto the north facing,
Glide slides above the blue ice in Broads, one large and one small below the blue ice.
Side view of the Cabin Run.
Looking up at the remotely triggered Cabin Run slide.
Looking across the gully at the wave in the run out of the masive Gobbler's main face slide.
Looking up at the crown
Island of safety?
Your call.
Walking out
through the rubble field.
A skier standing at the toe of the run out at the base of the main gully.
Slopes skied:
Skier’s right side of the eyebrow in Cardiff, out Cardiff, Cabin Run on Gobblers, traversing and skiing the west facing beside the large slide on the main face out Porter.
Snow surface and conditions:
Well frozen surface on all sunny aspects and on low angled north and low elevations. There was dry settled powder on angled slopes in upper Cardiff and the Cabin run. When the angle lessoned it was supportable crust. Corn snow was found extending into the afternoon on the west facing aspects. Saw people skiing the southeast shoulder of Raymond at 12:30.
Weather:
Cool morning with warming as the day progressed. There was a cooling north breeze into early afternoon.
Evaluation:
Snow was mostly stable with a good refreeze. The reading I get from the weather forecast indicates another night of below freezing temperatures so spring skiing rules apply. I’d expect the hazard to rise with daytime heating around the compass.