Rockpile Avy Talk

[drewvw]

This thread could also be titled "bored at work and wishing I was skiing".

As a fledgling student of avalanche awareness, was seeking some opinions on how the end of the week is going to shape up.

The report this morning talks about a few new inches of snow and some heavy winds that are due to set in over the next couple days. Wednesday and Thursday look like it could get extremely windy.

so my question is: How bad is the rain crust, and what are the chances of decent cohesion/stability between the new low density snow and it as the week progresses? Doesn't seem like a great situation...

I know some of you are bored at work too, help the student learn :)

[RR]

Good topic!

Cohesion on the Cone? Surely you jest :p

All that snow will be blown right off the Cone and into the Ravines .....and the forest. GOST should hold snow better than the Upper Sherbie

Wet snow falling on a 35F degree day and then transitioning slowly to 25F degrees and drying snow is the only cure I can think of...make grateful offerings to Ullr, we can use a bonding snowpack!

[gtownrider08]

I don't have any input on this, but I will say that I'm bored out of my f'n mind! The only consolation is everything hurts today, due to multiple trips up and down the local bc spot yesterday. Snow was fantastic in southern NH.

[drewvw]

Sorry I should have been more clear, am primarily interested in the stability of the ravines but am up for hearing about everywhere on the big hill.

[RR]

Sorry I should have been more clear, am primarily interested in the stability of the ravines but am up for hearing about everywhere on the big hill.You asked, but I'm guessing you already know the answer. Dry snow on all that glaze? Bonding?

Oh yeah, that's a big zilch! As you mentioned, it's looking tough in the Ravines. What has me interested is what hangfire potential there is above that incredible crown from last week. That went down to a similar layer and now we have this new slick layer 4-9 feet above it.

I think we see wind-pack, over-glaze sluffing and small slides to fill in the crown and then another big daddy slide.

[PwdrHound]

Yeah....well, my trip to Switzerland was padded by yesterdays snow day (I currently work for a school district). I landed back in Boston on Saturday evening. Between my frustrations with Schweiz (German for Tourist Trap) and having begun going through my photos, none of which really depict the size and magnitude of some of the peaks I was fortunate enough to play on and around, the difficult transition back to the "real world" had begun! Fortunately, yesterdays snow event was exactly what was needed to aid in that transition!

Since I was inside 495, I decided to head up to Gunstock in hopes of meeting up with some T4T'ers but, I didn't arrive until 11 or so. Still, I had a great day skiing with a couple of guys I met in the parking lot. I had never been to Gunstock, so the local knowledge was much appreciated and went well with beer! Gunstock is a nice little mountain.....not very steep but, there looks like there is a nice approach to an old ski run when snow amounts permit! Other then that, the glades were quite nice even though everything was pretty skied-out by the time I got there...still, there were plenty of face shots and a few nice pow lines...if you could turn tight! Surprisingly, there wasn't as much snow at Gunstock as there was in Boston....seems like the the deepest snow fell on parts just north and west of Boston...

So, anyway, I am back at work.....need I say more!

NATO Telefest this weekend at MRG!!!! I'll be camping out atop the practice run again this year! Feel free to join in the fun!

[icelanticskier]

This thread could also be titled "bored at work and wishing I was skiing".

As a fledgling student of avalanche awareness, was seeking some opinions on how the end of the week is going to shape up.

The report this morning talks about a few new inches of snow and some heavy winds that are due to set in over the next couple days. Wednesday and Thursday look like it could get extremely windy.

so my question is: How bad is the rain crust, and what are the chances of decent cohesion/stability between the new low density snow and it as the week progresses? Doesn't seem like a great situation...

I know some of you are bored at work too, help the student learn :)

well, we'll just have to go and have a looksy. crust or no crust, new snow with blow in the right areas will ski very nicely and always does. think between the lines. the snow will have a chance to densify in the next couple of days as well. should be good, up high at least on the lower angle lee. down low? not enough wind transport and too many trees to block it out.
rog

[yuckster]

Well, looks kinda dicey up there today but much could change by the weekend. I think we are supposed to get some more r-a-i-n before Friday, this might help to stabilize the snow if snowfall on the backside works out the way RR is saying, with a transition from rain to snow as temperatures fall. Then again, it might not. I haven't had time to analyze the situation.

[jumpturn]

Think about the wind speed driving the snow into the ice.

Should be some wind slab to ski. Safety? Two ratings: 1) stays put; 2) you ride.

Nice ice all around means you better bring your stiffest skis and sharpen the edges. Full ski mountaineering gear. Don't fall.

Skied lots of pow over ice in the past two days. Any angle to it takes you down to the ice in the woods. More exposure on the rockpile.