[MCR] Whirldwind and Whistler backcountry

Out for a quick tour to attempt Whirlwind today. The snow has stayed surprisingly dry considering the past few days temps, although anything facing solar (SE-SW) had a crust.

We had quite a few large settlements on our way over Cowboy ridge and the snow here was only 1 m deep near the ridge tops. If you got anywhere near a rock or small tree you would sink down into the still rotten lower snowpack.

There was a nice big fracture line across most of the south face of Fissile mountain. It looked like it probably released a few days ago when the temps first got above freezing. The crown (top of the slide) was around 100+ m wide and 25-150cm's thick, it ran for 200m. A nice 2.5 or 3.0. There were a few other solar related slabs off other parts of the mountain too.

When we got to the business slope on Whirlwind, no one quite had the guts to suggest continuing any further. It seem a bit much with the warm temps, fairly fresh avalanches and the settlements that we had on the way out there.  

Everyone lately has been talking about the weaknesses in the snowpack "settling out" or "rounding". I would say this is only part of the story.

The other part would be the fact that we have just come out of one of the worst avalanche cycles in a long time. The weak layer is quite deep now and it is getting "bridged" by a more solid upper snowpack....a slab! The deep instability is still there! People are somewhat right in saying that it is rounding "a bit", but we need bonding, not just a few days of rounding.  You could probably get away with a bit more now however, "IF" you find the shallow or weak spot, you will trigger a slide that would be very consequential!

The snowpack we have here on the coast this year is more typical of the Rockies or Interior in bad years. These week Facet layers (think sugar snow) don't bond nearly as quick as we are used to. They also are not nearly as predictable.

 

Personally until temperatures cool off and snowpack really gets some time to bond,  I'm still sticking to very simple terrain with no overhead hazards. 

  

 

Craig McGee, ACMG Mountain guide

craigskibum@xxxxxxxxx

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