East Canyon Mt Tom

Tour up east face of Mt Tom

6AM - can drive to about 6500 ft; Road is rugged- definately want a truck not your nice vehicle; Overcast all day but no wind, was warm in morning already

8AM Lower 7500-9500ft Canyon is intersting transition- top 5-30 cm is a melt freeze crust that is allowing water to sit on it- so very firm in am (ski crampons) but sticky slow wet goo on way home 1pm - below this layer in some locations is some 4 F density cold snow on top of another crust - every now and then I'd post hole into it on way up.

9AM - At the foot of the east headwall. Headed up the lookers left (north facing) Chute to gain east ridge. Dug several quick hand pits- 4F density powdery snow with occaisional wind slab crust 4-8cm thick. No reaction to compression tests, SHear test medium Q2/Q3 on another curst about 30CM down. DIdn't examine lower layer. Supported a skin track to the top, some solar warming/crust on the more east facing sides of chute.

East Ridge- hard snow, nice icy boot pack along it; no wind. Chute skied great and wasn't wind affected at all (Sardine and Tinnemaha canyons have been awful over the last 10 days). Once back in the canyon at about 1pm top half skied well - firm base with cornish-top 1-2 inches, bottom was the wet mush- extrmely slow. Noticed a couple small wet slides off S/E facing terrain below rocks that weren't there in morning.

Overall skiing was great.