Well the lower mountain is showing the distinct signs of the RETURN CYCLE.  Lower Silver Fox is looking rather spotty now and one would have to pick a way down that exposure.  For the most part, the coverage is looking pretty good, with the upper mountain still holding quit a bit of solid base, a but the direct Sun exposures are taking a beating.  The sun cup issue is a feature that began to be noticeable last weekend, creating a rather bouncy ride where the variations make the ride very bouncy even on untracked sections.   Because of the melt down conditions, caution should be exercised , by watching out for steam bed fractures in the snow as it get undermined,  crevasses near rock outcroppings, rotten snow in unexpected areas, tree wells, and the sink holes that seem to pop up as the snow melts.  This will be the last week end of back to back Trams, as the snow pack is becoming more dangerous down low, so enjoy the full mountain experience before we are relegated to the upper mountain.  Here is a shot I took today of the West facing Gad valley shots, where the melt off is advancing quickly with the direct Sun exposure.  See you there first Boat.  Ciao!!

MELT OFF

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 16th, 2011 at 2:46 pm and is filed under Snow Reports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.