February’s rays

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

By Lisa Van Sciver

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-As February creeps upon us the days grow longer and the sun’s rays reach new slopes. Finally the mid-day sun casts on Snow King causing the lift ride to be a bit more enjoyable. Although the sun feels good on us, the effect on the snow’s surface is not quite as desirable. Recrystallization of the snow from the sun’s warmth has created a breakable crust on all aspects except northerly, making smooth turns a bit harder to pull off.

On north aspects, light snow still exist upon a potentially, hazardous hard slab, which could be triggered by large loads or by finding the right trigger point. On Feb. 6, south of Jackson in the Snake River Range at mid and lower elevations several hard slabs were released by skiers and snowmobilers. The avalanches ranged from class two to class three, and were each at least 36 inches deep.

Recently in the Teton Range, there have been reports of 18-inch soft slabs triggered by skiers exploring the backcountry. Although on Feb. 2, skiers released a sizable hard slab at 8,300 feet on the northeast ridge of Teewinot. So the deep instability still exists.

Even though our thin season shaped up with a few big dumps, the snow coverage is still lacking. Without the strong winds and constant snowfall Corbet’s Couloir remains closed. The Wilson Faces and other low elevation runs still have exposed twigs and stumps. We can only hope the next storm comes soon and wet, so it bonds to the surfaces created by February’s rays.

 
PERMALINK:
February’s rays | Planet JH News Article: Snow Report Column

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