Dutch Canyon Periphery

Trail breaking was pretty heinous, so Alta the Dog let me do it.

This SE facing slope was stable.

However, upon ascending the NE facing terrain for a second run, instabilities were immedialtely noticed.

This was the largest of three slides that were remotely triggered.
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Flank

Some of the deposition.

Same, But Different

Yesterday was bluebird, so I had to get out...

My tracks keep getting covered up.


I have to cross a couple fence lines to get to the destination.

Alta the dog brings up the rear.


Saw some activity in the area, mostly on northeast facing slopes, and confined to the new snow.


Views on the way out.

Another Tour de Backdoor

Went out President's Day evening and did a quick loop.





Had a shooting crack on the NE facing run, also a bit of a zipper-crust. Still fairly good turns.

Beirdneau Peak

Skied the SE chute/gully of Beirdneau Peak on 4/12. Got an early start, and was able to get about 2,500 vertical feet of good corn snow.

Sunrise.

Click photo to see line skied.

Looking up from lower in the gully.

First light hits Beirdneau.

Views ^ v

A good portion of the upper bowl had avalanched, coming off the rock outcroppings. Still smooth snow to skier's left.

Obligatory Alta the Dog photos:
Under a cornice,

in the upper bowl,

Looking over towards Spring Hollow.

Toward Logan Peak, above Logan Canyon.

Wellsvilles in distance.

Cornices.

Summit ridge.

Zoomed, from the road.

Wind

Alta the Dog breaks trail at the end of March
.

Wind buff.

Lotsa wind-loading.

And shooting cracks.

Took quite a bit to get things going though.

And then they wouldn't go very far.

Looking back.

Alta the Dog, after hanging out on a windy ridge.
NE facing ~7200', 25' wide, 75' vert
Strong west winds, a foot of new snow.

Shear Test in the Wellsvilles

vid clip of a shear test on the flank of a very broad avalanche at lower-mid elevation in the Wellsvilles. Feb. 1st. Courtesy: UAC/more here

Wood Camp Hollow

Took the dog for a walk up into Wood Camp Hollow. come on, come on..... this tree is located roughly 60' up on a sidehill, ~2 1/2 miles from where the crown was, ~10 inches in diameter, and was still snapped like a twig in the avalanche of 1986. Read about it here. Representin' the Lou Dawson Movement:

Big Baldy Avalanche 2/14/05

This is a slide I triggerred on Valentine's Day, 2005. The crown was 3' deep, ~100 yards wide, and the slide ran for 1000' vertical through sparse trees. NW aspect ~8700' elevation. This is the biggest slide I have experienced firsthand. Another slide I triggered on the same ridge farther east, from a few days earlier in this same storm cycle can be found here: http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/BRAIC/MillvillePeak2-11-05_000.htm

the slide ran on the obvious path in the upper right of this photo.