January 30
Bowman-Yellow Jacket-ridge walk-Porter Fork
Elevations, slope angles and aspects
6400-10400', angles over 35°, all aspects
Snow conditions
Settled snow.
South facing and off aspects crusted with variable support.
Lower elevations had hoar frost formation.
Isolated collapsing and cracking on west facing upper Yellow Jacket in snow less than a foot deep.
Avalanche activity
Wanted to see reported slide activity in Yellow Jacket.
North chute at the head of Yellow Jacket. Very steep northeast facing. When I passed through around December 15, the area had extensive small fractures scattered all over the hillside, collapsing and running short distances. Shallow weak snow then, finally tickled to avalanche.
Debris covered the summer trail. Good thing it wasn't a Saturday.
Triggered by group in search of this one.
Slide is in the main Yellow Jacket bowl, ene facing. It encompasses the middle third of the ridge separating Yellow Jacket and Pole canyon. The lower end of the ridge facing east did not slide and neither did the upper headwall. This entire bowl slid during the mid December cycle. Large crowns were observed on the same day as activity in the north chute.
Triggered by a group walking the infamous "ridge to nowhere" so named because it takes forever to follow the ridge, exposure to near constant drifting, easily initiated slides and ending up at the top of Yellow Jacket, shaken, scared or lacking a hill to ski.
Route finding is a learned skill.
Weather
Beautiful day!
Evaluation
Healing in progress.
Steep slopes with drifting, previous avalanching during December and or weak underlying snow best avoided.
There is good skiing with careful route selection.
Localized potential for avalanche with, consequences of triggering one, serious.
Weather guessers are suggesting 4-8"? and wind from the west(imagine that). There may be new snow instability, drifting, lack of a good bond.
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