29 Dec warning
First blue day after +100cm of fresh snow and endless wind and a deeply buried crust that has started to facet. There is hard and soft windslab everywhere. Anyone skiing complex, steep and exposed terrain today is too stupid to call themselves a backcountry skier/snowboarder. It isn't an issue of being conservative, its an issue of having utter disregard for the most obvious and honored rules of avalanche avoidance and life preservation.
I heard some people are heading for the backbowls of Happo. Although unlikely, for anyone else reading this in the morning, don't be as immature as they are. There isn't even any need to go up there and 'have a look at how stable it is'. The first chapter of any avalanche book or the first day of a course will tell you that answer.
Today my friends and I are riding deep powder and gentle trees, yet I am even concerned with that choice.
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Thanks for the warning Big D. The only slide I have to worry about today is this giant stack of papers on my desk.
One man wolfpack
In 2000 there were three killed, huge windy storm on faceted snow. http://www.evergreen-hakuba.com/avalanche/avalanche-awareness.html
This week we had a big windy storm on a crust. The results could have been the same, but thankfully were not.
There were plenty of natural trigger size 3 avalanches on the ridges above 2500m.
I know of one guiding operation that took clients out yesterday to Happo. Kind of amazing. They reported good stability but lots of exposed crust and windslab.
Yesterday when we were touring our easy terrain I bumped into Bill Glude (for the first time). He's an Alaskan avalanche forecaster who comes to Hakuba each year for a month or so before AK turns on. Others on this site know him, certainly better than I do. He was also taking easier terrain for the day and raised an eyebrow at the stability.
Here is what ACT/Dave is saying right now:
Clear skies and warm temperatures today meant rapid settlement in the snow pack allowing bonding to take place. The snow depths are extremely varying over terrain‚ shallow in wind scoured ridges and around rocks and very deep in lee ward pockets. This varying snow depth means that there are areas heavily loaded with thin fragile borders at the ridges. Be very careful entering into steep complex terrain from scoured areas into loaded areas.
Stay out of steep conplex terrain as avalanches are likely. Especially on complex lee or cross loaded slopes.
Faceting has been found above and below the melt freeze crust of Dec. 23rd. These facets will be gaining in size in shallow snowpack areas‚ around rocks and on scoured ridges. However should start to bond in areas of deep snow pack. Tests on east facing wind deposits today found Hard or no compressions at the crust at a depth of 110 cm below snow surface.
Due to the strong winds a wind slab varying in thickness can be found across the Hakuba range.
Be aware of rapid changes in the snow related to solar radiation and rising air temperatures.
Extreme caution around cornices and below cornices on steep convex terrain.
I heard the BC was sweet yesterday.
One man wolfpack
I found it pretty ordinary. Still not enough snow for many tree runs to be good, really variable snowpack thanks to the wind. I even saw one 35cm diameter pine that had been snapped in half by the wind. We skied N and E aspects from 2900m, too much scrub in the way, scoured areas, slaby areas, dense soft snow areas. Basically now real powder left after these winds.
Saw guys riding the most frequent big-slide bowl off Norikura Dake. They didn't trigger anything, and must have been disappointed that they didn't. Because I can't imagine why else they would have hit it, other than pure reckless abandon.
Fucking wind
One man wolfpack
East. We didn't see them, they likely happened over night or the day before.