March 22
Porter Fork
Elevations, slope angles and aspects:
6200-10200', angles over 35°, south and north facing aspects
Avalanche activity:
A few rollers from daytime heating.
Zoomed photos of Broads:
Above the blu ice and diving board
Close up of small glide at the base of the rock cliff just south of the diving board.
Slopes skied:
Dead snag and white snake on the northwest face of Gobblers.
Snow conditions:
Well frozen at lower elevations. There was a few inches of soft and dry in sheltered upper elevation north facing. Other aspects were crusted, with variable thickness. South facing had softening crusts by mid morning and a few rollers.
Cornice line going through the melt freeze cycle.
Northwest facing crusts softened to snocone snow, with heating, providing good skiing into late afternoon.
Weather:
Beautiful spring day. Mild temperatures. Winds were from the northwest, gusting to around 15 mph, along the upper elevation ridge.
Evaluation:
First hints of spring. Timing softening of crusts to avoid wet activity would provide good safe skiing, even on northerly facing aspects.
Running the Broads Fork gauntlet, would best be a morning activity. Some limited further movement is possible for a day or so.
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