Avalanche: Portage / Placer

We snowmachined from Whittier, over Whittier Glacier, Burns Glacier, to the icefield directly east of Carpathian Peak above 4000′ feeding into Spencer, Northland & Blackstone. There was cold dense powder above 2500′ on north-ish aspects of the Whittier. The Burns was melting slush at 2000′ by the time we got there at 1130am. Snow improved again around 2500′ on the icefield between Portage & Spencer – 5-20cm of heavy windblown powder. Under a west face 1.5mi east of Carpathian Peak at 4300′-4600′ there was 15-30cm of dense settled powder.

Crevasses; the glaciers seemed to have relatively benign surfaces, but there was more concerning texture/topography climbing south out of the Burns, and crossing above the Concordia.

One riders primary clutch broke. It was invaluable to have satellite communications with AGA. Also luckily, the rider had purchased insurance to cover a machine recovery. Extra layers, food & water were also nice as we waited 3 hours for the lift. Knowing how to ride double was important for the rider with the mechanical. Lesson learned: get the sled to a flat area and/or prep a landing spot for the heli, as they don’t just lower rigging for you to secure the load yourselves.