MOUNTAIN CONDITION REPORT 18 December 2015 Hello everybody. As we near Christmas I thought I would post some snowy mountain scenes from a ski tour we did yesterday in the Sierra Nevada. We are so lucky here to have this on our doorstep arent we? After the snowfall of last weekend we are left with very variable snow conditions. The new snow overlays a hard, icy and well consolidated base. The wind and slope aspects have started to transform this new snow already and we are left with some hard icy areas together with vast areas of soft snow becoming wetter the lower down the mountain we go. This basically means that there is some wonderful snowshoeing to be had on the lower slopes and forests areas of the Sierra Nevada and Alpujarras above 2000m. The pine forests especially are enchanting places to be when the snows are deep. Backcountry ski touring is very difficult at the moment and strictly the preserve of the experts. These variable conditions are norm though for early winter and we can expect more stable conditions as the winter progresses. It does produce some amazing sculptured shapes in the snow and ice though (see photos below). If you just want to walk the hills then snowshoes (along with crampons and ice axe) will greatly assist progresss. The avalanche risk is moderate (see explanation below), although there is some signs that Windslab is developing. What is Windslab? Windslab forms when the upper surface of the snow becomes harder and icier as a direct result of wind action, daytime thaw and overnight refreezing. Gradually a hard top layer forms on the snow. This can be one of the most deadly forms of avalanche. As can be seen in the photo of the skis (below) the crust is breaking and shearing away into plates. At the moment this is not a problem but may lead to avalanche conditions developing rapidly after the next big snowfall. MODERATE RISK Snowpack stability - The snowpack is moderately well bonded on some (note 1) steep slopes (note 3), otherwise generally well bonded Avalanche probability - Triggering is possible with high additional loads (note 2), particularly on the steep slopes (note 3) indicated in the bulletin. Large natural avalanches (note 6) not likely. For off-piste & back-country activities - Routes should be selected with care, especially on steep slopes (note 3) of the aspect (note 5) and altitude indicated. Notes 1 Generally described in more detail in the avalanche bulletin (e.g.altitude, slope aspect, type of terrain, etc) 2 Additional load: high - e.g. group of skiers, pistemachine, avalanche blasting.low - e.g. skier, walker 3 Steep slopes: slopes with an incline of more than 30 degrees 4 Steep extreme slopes: those which are particularly unfavourable in terms of the incline, terrain profile, proximity to ridge,smoothness of underlying ground surface 5 Aspect: compass bearing directly down the slope. 6 Natural: Without human assistance. Access. You will find snow at 2000m either approaching the Sierra Nevada from the ski area or from the Alpujarras to the south. There is some snow alongside forest tracks and access above 2000m in some areas will not be possible without chains. Happy to respond to questions about specific access points and their feasability. Enjoy the mountains but be prepared. Wrap up well. Axe and crampons and the knowledge of how to use them is essential. Have a great festive season! Richard Hartley of spanishhighs.co.uk for the EiALERT NETWORK
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 11:15:11 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015