Observation: Public

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Observations

Toured up just above Bullion Basin underneath Platinum Peak. The wind was very gusty all day at Crystal Mountain on the resort, and it was the same in the backcountry. We saw wind feature relatively low, near tree line. We started observing more wind feature including convexities and evidence of wind loading as we began skinning up underneath Platinum Peak. Wind blown snow was quick to slough off the edge of the skin track. We came to a slide path at about 5900' where there was strong, gusty wind, with blowing snow and a lot of surface instability. The skin track was nearly covered. We opted to turn around here, as did a couple of other groups. A crude pole pit on the SW aspect demonstrated a weak surface layer extending about 5 cm deep, and localized cracking was seen when we put out backpacks down on the hillside.