Our day’s tour began with a trailhead temp of -8C with a high of -1.5C at about
noon. Moderate-strong
east wind blew at ridgetop throughout the day.
Many fresh natural windslab avalanches to D2.5 were observed. The first we
noticed was a small gully
on Tritip and a higher cornice break from the upper ridge that we believe both
happened sometime
between 1700 Saturday evening and Sunday morning 0930. The debris from the small
western gully ran
from about 2800′ down into the alder. As we skinned up across the highway from
Tenderfoot, we
noticed flagging and intense wind transport along ridgelines and peaks. Back
along Tenderfoot ridge on
a WSW aspect, another windslab released, then stepped down producing an D2.5
avalanche that ran to
the bottom of the path. Templeton had a crossloaded northern gully run from
about 3500′. On our drive
home we noticed multiple avalanches in the western gullies of Butch and Moses.
And several more on
W-S walls and ridges further back, between each peak.
On the aldered/treed shoulder south of Colorado Creek we found 40cm average HS.
18cm 4finger
settled powder on 2mm facets on the 20cm late Jan. crust. Facets to 3mm were
found below the crust at
the ground. We stayed below treeline, but ran into a couple pockets with soft
windslab that fell easily off
the crust.
Saturday Feb.22 we felt a whumph at treeline on the Tenderfoot shoulder. We dug
on the SW aspect just
off the ridge and down from the snowboarder-triggered avalanche from Feb.16. HS
121cm. ECTN21
cracked through the 70cm windslab. CTH down 42cm on 4F-1F interface, Q3/SC.
Friday Feb.21 we felt a whumph at 2400′ on a SSW aspect of Tincan, 28 degrees.