The Wind is Winding

Riding quality was:

Good

Snow conditions were:

• Powder
• Wind affected

We rode:

• Dense trees
• Mellow slopes
• Open trees

We stayed away from:

• Alpine slopes
• Convex slopes
• Cut blocks
• Steep slopes

The day was:

• Cold
• Sunny
• Windy

Avalanche conditions

• 30cm + of new snow, or significant drifting, or rain in the last 48 hours.
• Whumpfing or drum-like sounds or shooting cracks.

We planned a conservative day with cold temps and strong-to-extreme winds at Morfee today. When we got to the ridgetop, we were nearly blown over and couldn’t communicate over the wind and layers of gear. We retreated down to what we thought would be sheltered terrain and were surprised to find shooting cracks and small wind slabs in the trees. The wind is blowing snow into areas that don’t usually get loaded, even at lower elevations. We stayed on slopes less than 30 degrees so we wouldn’t be surprised by an out-of-place avalanche problem.

Top wind speed today: 130 km/hr.

Low temp: -30 degrees

All wind-exposed areas have been stripped back to the early February crust. In sheltered locations, there is 30 to 50 cm of faceting snow above the crust layer.