March 6
Bowman-Yellow Jacket-Alexander Basin-Millcreek road
Elevations, slope angles and aspects
6400-9200', angles over 35°, north, east and west facing aspects.
Snow conditions
4" of new snow at the trailhead increased to 10-12" at 9200 feet.
The old surface was a crust, supportable and not so on off aspects. In the shade, spongy settled soft snow was the predominant base.
Daytime heating warmed off aspects. Small rollers were observed with the heating, both up high and in lower elevation shaded.
One large cornice fall from wind drifting during the storm was observed on east facing Toots to Boot, Alexander Basin.
That produced a shallow new snow slide which ran several hundred vertical.
New snow sluffs and shallow slabs were also observed in Main Porter(Silver Bell).
Weather
Sunny to partly cloudy skies. Increased high clouds in the afternoon limited sun warming. Mild temperatures and light wind.
Evaluation
Mostly stable snow was found in the area.
Several quick pits on the descent into Alexander Basin revealed a snow pack of about three feet deep.
Easiest shear was within new snow layering, density change. The other shears were rated hard and Q3.
Instability would be(for the most part) isolated to recent wind drifting, strong from the southeast for a while, yesterday.
Murdock, northwest face.
Some lingering potential of instability may exist in February faceted layering and near the ground on early season large grained facets.
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