Big Y Couloir

They say all good things come to an end and the sweet high pressure system of the last week certainly did, but that didn't stop us from getting into a nice couloir we've been eyeing up in the Big Y area. The sheltered snow above 1400 m skis very nicely. Things up high are still freezing overnight, and the clouds prevented significant solar warming at alpine elevations, even though the temperature was 0.7 c at 1600 m. While boot packing, we weren't particularly concerned about snow stability but gave thought to potential rockfall from above and punchy, hollow areas where supportable surface layers have disappeared from recent warming events. Throughout the spring, timing can minimize exposure (earlier is usually better, before significant afternoon solar input). Remember that even small slides can be consequential in bigger terrain.