STS bailout

Riding quality was:

OK

Snow conditions were:

• Crusty
• Hard
• Powder
• Wind affected

We rode:

• Alpine slopes
• Open trees

The day was:

• Cloudy
• Cold
• Stormy
• Windy

Avalanche conditions

• 30cm + of new snow, or significant drifting, or rain in the last 48 hours.

Headed up to STS hoping for a light refresh from the new snow. Lots of wind coming over Balu and the west shoulder on Cheops. Rapped in to find far more wind transport than expected... a 40-50cm thick wind slab had completely covered tracks from yesterday's skiers for at least the first 200m of the line, and it sheared with very little effort. We took this as a sign to go home, reascended our rope, and skied choppy leftovers down Nikki's. Popped a wind loaded test slope just above treeline near the bottom of the run which validated our decision.

Also, fill in your pits folks!! Almost took a head-first tumble into an open hole at the base of Nikki's. There are enough hazards at and below treeline as it is.