We found good conditions today on the Skyladder route on Andromeda. A good freeze overnight and an early start made for a 10-20 cm crust that was supportive throughout the climb. Beneath this crust lies a saturated, isothermal snowpack, which quickly becomes unstable when the crust melts out. The route is all snow right now and made for quick travel with the cold conditions we had in the morning. Bergschrunds on both the ascent and descent are still fairly filled in and easily crossed. We still had a supportive crust on N aspects on our descent at around 1230; however, snow on steep S, SE, and E aspects was completely isothermal. We witnessed a size 2.5 cornice triggered avalanche on a steep E aspect at around 3000m at 1000 am. Large cornices still hang over almost every other route on the N aspects of Andromeda. Cheers
Ian Jackson
ACMG Assistant Rock and Assistant Ski Guide
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continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable
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