Date of Observation: 03/03/2022
Name: jeff banks
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Skied mostly Sunny aspects & short N facing slope
Observed avalanche activity: No
Weather: 4F at 8:00, climbing out of the valley inversion temps were warming fast
intermittent thin clouds & negligible wind did little to slow the melt
Snowpack: 20-25cm re-freeze this AM in valley floor
~10-15cm re-freeze ~10,000ft
~9:20 Passed on skinning up SE slopes > 30º as the crust was quickly melting and exposing the moist, weak facets below. poor structure in shallow snowpack.
S & SW have much more developed (thicker & full corn) melt freeze structure and more more supportive to skis as the day warmed.
Only traveled on 1 N face slope ~50m in size, but produced:
2 Medium shooting cracks & collapse ~5m long & 2-3cm drop
1 Large shooting crack & collapse ~15m long & 3-5cm drop