The Wasatch Cashe Daily Dose

[wra]

Another view of may 11.

[AltaPowderDaze]

Another view of may 11.

Appears another day of this, before clearing. Temperatures rising for the weekend. Wear your helmut, when that happens.
It will certainly be interesting.

i have the feeling that this weekend will be trekking on the mellower slopes/ridges with plenty of spring wax for the skins. i haven't been out yet today but i'm guessing that the new snow isn't bonded all that much better to the deformed crust layer. it kinda feels like the new layer is just going to peel off durning the first 10* high temp spike or a quick hit from the sun. oh well, i had my fun with that layer of snow. i'd hate to have to ski that bedsurface though.

i guess were out of luck on a deep freeze until next season.

this spring is running so late that i won't get a trip home until mid summer.

[Buzzworthy]

i have the feeling that this weekend will be trekking on the mellower slopes/ridges with plenty of spring wax for the skins.

Enlighten the jong please. Wax the skins? I know mine got real wet at Basin last time up for a short jaunt, slushy in places. How will the wax help and in what situations?

Buzz

[AltaPowderDaze]

Enlighten the jong please. Wax the skins? I know mine got real wet at Basin last time up for a short jaunt, slushy in places. How will the wax help and in what situations?

Buzz

when new snow gets hit by the sun it will glop up under foot on your skins. it sucks to lift two 30lb skis every step.

[skifishbum]

I have used BD's glop stop w/ mixed results. Seems better if applied before onto dry skins. A fat pow ski w/ heavy snow on top and the skins will needlessly work you hard.
Here a pic of suspect crap layer from yesterday. Tried to take a pic through mag loupe of grains but failed. Temp diff was aprox 2 degrees from new snow to beneath this layer.

[Buzzworthy]

when new snow gets hit by the sun it will glop up under foot on your skins. it sucks to lift two 30lb skis every step.

So just wax underfoot and a bit extra or the whole skin? Should I do this now and how do you apply it to the skins? When and when not, how to put wax on and how to get wax off are my questions. Do I ever need to get the was off once I apply it?

Sorry, I just got my skins a bit ago. Never really knew much, still don't, but they sure do help for uphill.

[AltaPowderDaze]

buzz,

i use the same blocks that i hot wax my ski bases with. just rub it with the grain like you're mowing the lawn. you cando the whole skin but i usually go just a bit past toe and heel. the wax comes off as you climb so you will need to reapply on long tours.

---remember to go tip to tail, not the reverse. just pretend you are brushing your dog.

[Buzzworthy]

buzz,

i use the same blocks that i hot wax my ski bases with. just rub it with the grain like you're mowing the lawn. you cando the whole skin but i usually go just a bit past toe and heel. the wax comes off as you climb so you will need to reapply on long tours.

---remember to go tip to tail, not the reverse. just pretend you are brushing your dog.

Grassy Ass!!

Dog brushing, ha, you must be joking! Zanik dont need no brushing!

[zion zig zag]

So whats been going on out there lately? I'm planning on bagging a peak next week with an early start, plan on skiing by about 9am. With no freeze at night and the rapid warming is anyone seeing big glides? I'm thinking that if it will at least drop to about 40 at night surface slides should'nt be a problem.

[AltaPowderDaze]

i don't really know. i've been giving the snowpack some time to go iso since the last storm. i think right now the aspect you ski on is the more imoprtant part of your decision. i'm still seeing troubling impedence layers on north aspects so i'm avoid those right now. after a another week or so of this hot weather we should see those layers either produce slides or develop channels for the melt water to escape.

if you let me know where, what aspect/elevation you are looking to hit i can ask around. maybe someone has been there or has some idea of the local conditions.

[zion zig zag]

Ben Lomond/Willard peak, northeast facing, elev. between 9800 and 7500 ft.

Ben Lomond has a huge northeast face, about 1000 vertical feet of wide open 38-45 degree face.

[wra]

I was on Gobblers yesterday.
The snow line was between 7'100 and 8'000 feet.
Snow in that area, which didn't get the snow amounts from the may storms was settled into summer snow. It was supportable and skiable into early afternoon on the northwest facing.
There have been a number of large avalanches, including glide slides in Big Cottonwood with crowns noted in Mineral Fork and Mill B South.

Broads


I heard of a slide on Baldy above Alta yesterday, running at about 10 am on the north facing.

[AltaPowderDaze]

From the UAC:

For Immediate Release Contact: Bruce Tremper – Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

Date: 5-24-2005 801-231-4744

or

Craig Gordon 801-231-2170



wet Avalanche danger EXPECTED through the weekend



Very warm daytime temperatures combined with above-freezing nights will create wet slab avalanches throughout the mountains of Utah, especially on high elevation north through east-facing slopes. These conditions should persist through the holiday weekend.



Backcountry travelers should stay off of, and out from underneath, snow-covered slopes steeper than about 35 degrees, especially in the heat of the afternoon. Also, this is not the time to have a picnic under steep snow covered slopes. Finally, remember that the ski areas are not open and they are no longer doing any avalanche control.

these may be recent since the bedsurface hasn't been dusted yet.


AF Twins:


Dresden Face: