Professional Observation

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Snow Stability

Key Points

• I climbed and skied the SE facing couloir on Laurel mountain today. Leaving the parking area that Convict lake and reaching my highpoint at 10800′ or so on the shoulder of laurel mountain just before noon.
• Temperatures were quite warm today and the solar gain was intense. The clock felt like it was ticking on solar slopes and I was happy to be off consequential terrain before 1 pm.
• A decent re-freeze kept the skiing quick this morning and I was glad to have my ski crampons for the tour up Convict creek from the lake.
• I began my descent around 12 which felt almost spot-on for the upper two-thirds of the descent. I found the best sliding to be in areas with about 2-5 cm of moist surface melt on top of a well-established wind board.  Some route finding was necessary to pick through more textured and less supportive areas.
• The lower third began to feel punchy and a bit sloppy and had me rethinking the time frame. I felt a bit behind the 8 ball below 9500′.  This feeling was exaggerated on more southerly tilted slopes or in areas next to the skiers’ left-hand wall (in the sun).  After exiting the couloir onto the apron at around 9000′,  I was able to initiate large rollerball activity on a due south aspect.
• No loose wet activity was observed on my tour today. I suspect stability decreased further this afternoon in the areas I traveled and I’m confident that steep slopes on due south or even southwest aspects would have been more concerning today.
• Making my way back to the lake I found the snow to be variable and challenging. Ranging from hard, supportable wind board to moist and sticky and everything in between.