Date of Observation: 03/03/2022
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Northeast side of Carbon from the Carbon Creek TH (8,800-11,400ft). Climbed E, SE & NE; descended NW & NE.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Two naturals that seemed fairly fresh. A wet slab (D2) on one of the east chutes. A wind slab (D1) below a cross-loaded ridge in the main cirque that started in the new snow and stepped down to near the ground above a cliff band.
Weather: Hot at 9:30, and only got hotter. No wind. Light cloud cover.
Snowpack: A mixed bag. Exposed E & SE slopes were already quite wet at 10:00. Some slopes were supportable, others were breaker. Lots of collapsing on these slopes, where you get the sense that the wet surface snow is levitating an inch or two above the junk below. Someone yesterday described northern pow as “cream cheese.” Today it seemed a little more like when you try to make ghetto ice cream by shaking milk, vanilla, sugar & snow in a ziploc bag for 20 minutes. Lightly rippled alpine snow (NW & NE) was fabulous! Down low (12:30) it was more like sloppy mashed potatoes with a little too much milk & butter.
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