March 12
Area:
LCC-BCC
Location:
Pt. Supreme to Wolverine to Twin Lakes to Silver Fork to Days Fork.
Elevations, slope angles and aspects:
7500’-10400’, angles to 45°, all aspects.
Avalanches observed:
Looked at the cornice fall slide on Supreme. There were two slides. One large, 150’. One smaller 50’. They were side by side. The large one appeared to be the result of a large cornice drop.
Both slides removed the last storm snow sliding on a sun crust and were the result of wind loading. Total length of the path was a hundred feet or less.
East Castle, Alta, control work.
Saw a few point releases, mainly on southeast facing.
Ski cut a shallow 1” surface slide out in Oingo Boingo on entry by traversing from sun to shade. That ran a coupla hundred feet, gouging a bit.
Slopes skied:
Rocky point headwall, northwest chute on Wolverine, Figure 8 hill, East bowl Silver Fork and Oingo Boingo into Days Fork.
Snow surface and conditions:
Off aspects were crusted or slushy depending on aspect and time of day. North facing had some lingering dry settled snow. Northeast and west had a thin surface crust, which would melt allowing linked turns in the drier snow below or slicing through the zipper crust. South facing was wet and sloppy before noon.
Weather:
Clear warm and sunny. Little wind.
Evaluation:
Spring snow conditions. Following the sun in a timely fashion allows skiing well into the afternoon. Lateness on heated aspects produces sluffing of variable depth. Way late would produce a deeper slide depending on the underlying layering.
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