Close
Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center

Public Observation

Observation Details

Observation Date:
February 20, 2023
Submitted:
February 20, 2023
Zone or Region:
Big Pine Creek
Activity:
Skiing/Snowboarding
Location:
Decomposing Windboard on Kid Mountain

Observations

Climbed to the summit of Mt. Kid today via the E ridge and descended the same route. Leaving the car at 8AM, temps seemed to be warm and getting hotter, but cloud cover moved in and prevented a lot of solar input. All surfaces we encountered were heavily wind affected, but some windboard on N-NE-E aspects is faceting out on the surface at all elevations. Elevations below 8500' held the most surface facets - maybe about 1cm. Winds started light-moderate from the N but by the time we reached the top (2PM), gusts were strong and winds stayed strong on our descent. 1cm of facets over windboard might sound nice, but lots of sastrugi at almost all elevations made descent a chore.

Signs of Unstable Snow

None reported

Media

natural wind slab release, N aspect
midslope cornice, N aspect
Palisades beta photo
Close