April 25
Gobblers
Elevations, slope angles and aspects:
6400-10400', angles over 35°, north facing aspects.
Avalanche activity:
There was some limited natural activity from yesterday's wind and snowfall. A cornice fall on the east chute draining into Alexander Basin initiated a sluff, which triggered a new snow slide mid slope, new snow only, about a foot deep.
The steep east facing on Raymond had several new snow slides,
less than a foot deep and running only a few hundred vertical.
Daytime heating also produced some shallow sluffs,
beginning around noon on east facing, at about 9500'.
Another small glide slide was observed in Broads
above the blue ice, probably releasing during the end of the warm period.
Slopes skied:
Two runs on the main face of Gobblers
Snow conditions:
1-6" of settled new snow from yesterday's storm, elevation dependent. Lower elevation snow was mostly graupel.
Upper elevations had a mixture, with rimed stellars observed. As has been the case for most of the winter, northwest winds scoured the upper elevation northwest facing, loading lee aspects. Cornices are impressive.
Ski conditions were dense and creamy above 8k on the shady side and sticky below that elevation.
Weather:
Bluebird to partly cloudy in the morning, with increasing clouds in the afternoon. Breezy winds from the north, gusting into the 20 mph range. Moderate temperatures.
Evaluation:
Limited instability, with good settlement away from the recent wind drifting and warming. Latest forecast suggests a dry cold front and another round or northwest wind for Saturday, probably adding shallow wind drifts on lee aspects.Warming of recent snow remains an issue.
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