March 24
Area:
White Pine parking to Box Elder and return.
Elevations, slope angles and aspects:
7500’-11400’, angles to 40°, all aspects
Avalanche activity:
No recent activity, although the destruction from the east face of Box Elder is impressive, with the slide running over 2000’ and taking out trees 12”+ diameter. Branches were missing in others about 20’ above the ground.
Slopes skied:
South facing off the Pfeifferhorn, traversing and descending from Chipman shoulder, northeast face of Box Elder and north facing to Red Pine lake continuing out to White Pine parking
Snow surface and conditions:
Well frozen beginning at the parking area and continuing to the ridge. There is lingering dry powder above about 9500’ on the north facing. Low angles and flats have crusted on the shady with melt off timely for snow cone skiing. Corn snow was a bit slow to soften at the upper elevations, softening nicely at mid elevations. Snow is missing below about 8100’ feet where I found good corn a week ago. Skiing the 2500’+ off Box Elder at 2:30 pm, 2-4"dry powder changed to snow cone and to corn with descent. Some minor drifting, inactive, was found scattered about. Corn snow was still found on the west facing in the late afternoon (6 pm), with an underlying supportable crust.
Firnspeigal was forming near the ridge after the day time heating.
Dry powder was found at 6:30 pm above Red Pine lake turning to crust on lower angles.
Weather:
Bluebird, with a few clouds coming and going during the day. Winds were light from the northeast, decreasing. Beautiful day with moderate temperatures. No cooking in the afternoon.
Evaluation:
Snow is stable. Buy me an avalanche? You’d hafta be on some steep sun exposed, shallow snow pack after it had cooked in the sun for hours.
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