Signs of Instability:
No shooting cracks or whoomphing observed.
Small avalanche D1 that ran the entire length of the South Face scene.
[this may be the slide from 12/20] Crown could not been seen but was
triggered near top of the ridge.
Weather: Decreasing cloud cover. Temperatures in the mid 20’s.
Surface Observations: Dense snow below tree line and on lee slopes. Heavy wind
crust above treeline and on the the ridge that was impenetrable to ski cuts in
places.
I skied the North side of Tenderfoot Ridge around 3:00 in the afternoon to dig a
pit in an undisturbed area. Skinning in untracked areas proved to be very
difficult due to the multiple layers of facets that collapsed under my weight.
Each step would sink down several inches greatly hindering progress. The pit I
dug on a 30 degree slope yielded a snow height of 50 centimeters and 3 collapses
during compression tests in the faceted layers around the melt crusts. This can
be seen in the pit profile. Skiing both on and off the ridge was difficult with
stability in the dug pit showing moderate stability.