December 16-17
Bowman, Yellow Jacket, Alexander Basin and Porter Fork
Elevations, slope angles and aspects
6200-10400', angles over 35°, all aspects
Snow conditions
Storm total was 12-16" in the areas traveled through. Total depth 18-24".
Surface hoar
appears and disappears with daytime heating-nightime cooling. Sun exposed aspects follow the same pattern, crust-no crust.
Localized cracking and collapsing continues.
Northwest facing aspects have seen repeated scouring from the recent west winds and have variable wind crusting
Avalanche activity
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Lower Yellow Jacket ridge and point above Bowman trail.
Upper bowl remains in place.
Pole canyon, slide on the shoulder above the main gully.
Cabin run remains in place with significant scouring.
Toots to Boot, middle.
Right and left sides remain as does Toots Sweet.
Middle bowl, Alexander Basin. Most has slid with the force sympathetically triggering the lower breakovers in the middle of Alexander Basin meadows.
East chute and upper east facing Alexander Basin. The main bowl remains.
A pocket on the northwest facing shoulder of Wilson peak.
Debris pile is taller than it is wide.
Paradise
Some evidence of slides on the northeast-east facing upper bowl but, none off the main entry.
The exit
has these interesting little slides scattered over the hill side and in the main gully.
The list goes on.
Weather
Overcast to partly cloudy. A skiff of new snow here and there. Winds were light, temperatures, mild.
Evaluation
Although the new snow has settled, continued collapsing indicates continued instability. Many of the upper starting zones have not slid while little slides litter run outs and slopes well off the ridge.
Eventually the tension will ease, slopes will stabilize and we'll be waiting for the next load and avalanche cycle.
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