Storm Creek Headwall

Is this a point observation or a summary of your day?

Summary

Elevation above sea level

2,400m

Elevation band

• Alpine

Aspect

• N

Did you observe whumpfing?

No

Did you observe cracking?

No

Snowpack test result

Hard

Snowpack test fracture character

Uneven break

Surface conditions

• Variable

Anywhere from 0-150cm of snow up in Storm Creek depending on how the wind has thrown things around. Ski pen ranged from 0-20 and boot pen from 0-wallowing but generally was about 30cm in snowier spots.

Found the old wind slabs to be well settled and unreactive. Not much of a rain crust in the snowpack either.

Was not able to get any results with numerous hand shears while traversing on the slopes above the main headwall. Things felt like they were stuck together quite well and you’d have to look pretty hard for an avalanche.

Of note, along with debris from Kaveology overhead that reached a ways down towards the trees, the overhead right of Fleshlumpeater and that just left of Smith & Wesson have also produced slabs during the last cycle that reached 2/3 of the way down the slopes below the climbs. Parts of Storm Creek do have steep snowy terrain overhead, but not those parts.