20-21

Toured up the Cottonwood Creek drainage in the Crazy Mountains. Observed heavy NE cornicing as well as complex wind transport. Lots of stripped N aspects. Conditions deteriorated throughout the day with high winds and graupel deposition. Our 100cm depth pit was on a 240º SW aspect at 8000 feet, a 20º slope angle, wind speeds at 1pm were 15-20 mph and the temperature was around 20º F. The sky condition was overcast. We performed an ECT and received an ECTX result. We performed a isolated column test and received a CTH - 22 RP Q2, fracturing 30cm below the top on a layer of facets.

Skied low angle treed slopes and saw no recent signs of avalanches.

Human triggered avalanche at (estimate) 1:30pm from upper 'Avalanche Gulch' by one party ascending from 'Dribbles'. Climber on second moderate pitch of 'Avalanche Gulch' swept but saved by screw placement from going over pitch 1 of AG. No injuries, no burials, and both parties reconvened at base of AG to assess the event. All parties descended at 3pm.

Toured in Hyalite main fork today and found decent powder skiing in protected trees up high. No signs of instability observed: no recent avalanches, no cracking, no collapses.

The winds receded throughout the day and the temps gradually dropped while broken skies developed before a final wallop of snowfall around 3pm (S2+ rate) during our exit ski.

It did seem like the open upper elevation slopes all showed surface texture evidence of the the significant wind overnight/this morning. We opted to not mess with them.

Quick pit at 9050' NE aspect HS 140cm with a pronounced facet/decomposing melt freeze crust combo buried ~1m down underneath the solid seeming mid-pack. ECTP27@38cm on the facets above the decomposing crust. Looks like the upper elevation snow pack is headed in the right direction... but still has a way to go before it can actually be trusted.

Skied both north and east facing terrain on the west side of Hebgen today. The few inches of new snow that has fallen recently seemed a bit denser than what was already on the ground. Made for an EXTREMELY touchy day. Widespread whumpfing and collapsing everywhere we went. We kept our slope angles low. On one slope we had a large collapse when the first skier started which created many longitudinal cracks across the entire width and length of the slope. We measured the slope at 27 degrees - I am confident a steeper slope in this area would have easily released.

From obs: "Skied Mt Blackmore this morning. Very windy up in the basin, but calm along the ridgeline. Lots of signs of wind-loading and drifting on most slopes. I felt/heard 3 collapses while ascending the trees up to the east ridge. Saw a debris pile on the N face, likely from a cornice fall in the last 24hrs." Photo: M. Lavery