Went for an afternoon sprint up the bottom of the “Fingers” on Mt. Macpherson.
Weather became increasingly snowy in the afternoon with a steady 2 cms an hour and a -2 at the parking lot at the end of the day ( and still snowing in town at 8pm) – also gusty winds, even in this sheltered below treeline location (must have been even more so up high).
The uptrack is well placed and minimizes any exposure to the main paths as you ascend – lots of room for tracks close to the boundaries so no need to stick your neck out too far even skiing down J!
The early Feb. interface is down 80 to 100cms in this area and consists of 10 cm thick layer of weak snow (4 finger to 1 finger resistance facets) – the slab above is gaining strength and making it more difficult to initiate things in moderate terrain ( no Whumpfing today)– however that same strength makes for a potentially larger event when things do fail.
Incline and shape are more important than ever – I didn’t climb too high and was sticking to lower angled terrain (25-30degrees) and avoided any steep overhead slopes or steeper convex features.
My plan for the winter is to keep it humble and not try to out think this atypical snowpack – the ski quality is good but don’t let the “White Siren” tempt you where you know you shouldn’t go.
Cheers from Revy,
Scott Davis
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide