Poor vis

Map for Mountain Information Network report: Poor vis

Snow conditions

Riding quality was:
OK
Snow conditions were:
  • Powder
  • Wind affected
We rode:
  • Mellow slopes
We stayed away from:
  • Alpine slopes
  • Steep slopes

Information

The day was:
  • Cloudy
  • Warm
  • Windy
Avalanche conditions
  • Rapid temperature rise to near or above 0°C or wet surface snow.

Comments

Sledded up to treeline and found the visibility to be very poor. We couldn't see well enough to figure out where the wind slab problem was; so we found a safe meadow, grabbed our transceivers, and practiced some scenarios.

The wind was steady all day, continuing to build wind slabs in lee features in the alpine and treeline, and develop cornices. Found HS of between 170 and 220 at 2100m. 10 cm of storm snow over the new, thin crust which is above a well consolidated mid pack that goes down to our early season facets and crusts that are about 150-190 down and unreactive in our tests at this spot today.