March 29
Bowman trail to Wilson
Elevations, slope angles and aspects:
6200-10000', angles approaching 40°, north, east and west facing aspects.
Avalanche activity:
Ski cutting along the north Wilson chute ridge produced
a crack in the cornice line which refused to move down hill. There was also a bit of wet activity observed on the se face of Raymond,
Zooming reveals
a skier trigger.
Slopes skied:
East Alexander chute and Wilson glade, exit Alexander Basin.
Snow conditions:
Lower elevations had melted isothermal snow
to around 7k. Above that surfaces were well frozen. Above about 8k there was a trace of new snow. Winds had blown that and whatever loose snow lingered from the mild temperatures, scouring the exposed and drifting onto lee aspects.
Drifts were up to about a foot deep.
Weather:
Overcast to partly cloudy. Winds from the west, decreasing during the day. Mild temperatures out of the wind.
Evaluation:
Mostly stable snow. Wind drifts had potential instability as did wet activity on sun exposed and at mid and low elevations.
Some lingering wind drift instability remains. Future instability would be dependent on wind effect and bonding of forecast new snow to the variable old surfaces.
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