February 17

Broads Fork

Elevations, slope angles and aspects

6000-10200', angles over 35°, north and east facing aspects.

Snow conditions

Marginal conditions below the bridge. Above about 8k, 4-6" recent settled snow.

Off aspects have a thin breakable crust under the most recent snow.

One isolated collapse was felt following the skin track up Bonkers. It collapsed on faceted snow under the most recent storm.

Weather

Partly cloudy to overcast skies. Mild temperatures and light wind from the west.

Avalanche activity

The only slide activity observed was two point release sluffs on Bonkers.

bonker-sluff

Both were the result of warming, starting in the rock bands and spreading as they ran.

Of interest, the sluffs gouged into older weak layering in a section or two, producing fractures which only moved a few feet.

One old crown was still visible in the back bowls under Sunrise peak.

Evaluation

Weather guessers have an actual? storm incoming with up to 20" currently forecast so...

Instability would be from new wind drifts, lack of old-new snow bond, weak layering under the current settled and weak shallow snow on and under old bed surfaces from the January slide cycle.

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