Skied from the ski mountaineers summit of Mt. Field yesterday. Mainly sunny, 6 deg. @ parking lot and -5 on summit, Light to Mod wind from NE, 1-2cm of new snow. 5 hours to the top with good traveling conditions- slower on the ski out road with heavier moist snow- Needed glop stopper on up-track. No whumphing or cracking. N slopes had good preserved powder down to TL with boot top ski pen. Solar aspects had moist snow on all elevations, from upper snowpack to mid pack- beginning to be isothermal at lower elevations and seemed usntable and probably ready to slide with a trigger in the right terrain. OF NOTE: Variable conditions and results observed. In deeper snow areas snowpack seemed homogeneous with tests producing No Results or Hard RP(resistant planar) results. However wind affected and shallow areas seemed very suspect and the transition between safer terrain and suspect terrain was very abrupt. These produced Easy SP (sudden planar) results 15-20down and Mod RP 30-50dn. At TL there is an isolated lower density layer 40 or so down below a firmer pencil layer that could be a cause for concern in unsupported and steeper terr. Numerous resistance tests probing with ski pole, hand shears, compression test and careful terrain selection were used in this transitional time to gain confidence in order to ski from the summit. It seem it would be very easy still for one to hit a shallow, wind or sun affected pocket which could potentially trigger an avalanche.
Wdspr Na aval to Sz 1.5 on solar aspects of
Eric Dumerac
Ski Guide
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