Tsaina Valley northwest of hoodoo creek confluence up to 3600’  NE-SE/ Clear/ Calm  Shooting cracks: No Collapsing: No Avalanches: Yes, Old D1-2 natural wet loose off steep solar aspects. Found a trace of snow on a breakable melt freeze crust on southeast aspects up to 3600’.  On east through northeast found 15-20 cms of storm […]

Lutak Zone: 3600’/N-Aspect/Scattered/Moderate S-Wind/25F. Found 10cm of fresh deposits around 1700′ over varying degrees of old wind slab. The dense wind effect sounded hallow, but did not shoot cracks or whump in that spot. An extended column test at 2100′ produced a propagating test result with ECTP26 down 35cm on 1-2mm rounding facets around a […]

It’s been snowing 2-3 inches every day for the last few days, with no wind along the road. Surface conditions in and around the Canwell Glacier Valley is low density powder. 8-10″ ski penetration and as of this afternoon was still totally untouched by the wind! I didn’t dig a snowpit or do any snowpack […]

It’s been a minute.  Fantastic day up at treeline.  Freezing level was around 1800’.  Snowed most the day.  Knee deep SE blower goodness!  But could definitely still notice the old wind effect from a week ago in spots.

Spent the last week in the College Glacier area. At the beginning of our time there (03/07/2022), snow was very firm and very wind effected. Got camp set up and then weathered the 3 day storm that dumped 47cm of fresh, dry, powder from 03/09 through 03/11. No wind to speak of in this valley […]

The predominant wind has been out of the north the last few days, which is slightly unusual for this area. The snow down on the Delta River is drifting, but hasn’t been blown away completely. I noticed several natural avalanches along the road corridor south of Miller Creek and at the south end of Rainbow […]

7 Mile Saddle, 2,700’, S aspect. HS 115 HN 10. Mid pack has several melt/freeze and rain crusts and is pencil+ hard. Layer of concern down 55 below the crust complex. December outflow with ~ 2cm of near crust facets. ECTP down 55 Very Hard (32). Failure occurred at the top of this weak layer. […]

Cracked Ice 3/10 Billy Mitchell 3/11 On 3/10-3/11 found above freezing temps with moist snow at the surface below 3000’.  On Cracked Ice and Billy Mitchell found the 3/3 BSH to be rounding and un-reactive in stability tests and ski cuts below 3000’.  Continue to see poor structure with the November facets, although stability results […]

Lutak Zone: 2100’/N-Aspect/Obscured to Broken/Moderate South Wind/30F. South wind was gusting strong enough to knock snow off the trees. Visibility came and went all day with thick clouds rolling in and clearing as high clouds passed overhead. New snow at the surface was 4″ of dry to moist over a supportable crust. Because it was […]

Cracked ice to 4000′ Temps near freezing near road level, considerably colder up high. 4-5 inches light dry snow above alder line was being transported by S winds 10 to 15 mph.  Crossloading on mountain ridges/shoulders on E,W,N slopes.  Slabs on these slopes, from last week’s winds, where being buried under new light snow. New […]

The recent storm accumulated ~10″ of low density powder at the Black Rapids Lodge, with several more inches as you head further south. This storm also seems to have had little wind, almost no scouring/drifting at the road yet.  Photo is from today at the Castner Glacier. 

Climbed and skied the north face of Minya peak on 3/7. The entire face was wind board and not particularly skiable. We picked our way down the north face after abandoning our plan to ski the south face due to similar looking snow conditions and an unknown crevasse situation at the bottom. Some protected south […]