Headed up the Visti sipping a forty and listening to Def Leppard.
Around Visti pole six I shot up, and by the top I was feeling loose.
By the time I reached the Top of the World, I was cross-eyed and tingling.
Passed out in the trees at the bottom.
Woke up an hour later, and started my traverse out.
Crowns and debris were everywhere in areas over thirty degrees, N-NE facing in the trees.
Also I wanted to see if stability was any better a couple days after the event.
I found the spot.
It was N-NE facing, the roll over pitching to 36 degrees at the top of the crown.
Imagine a heli just dropped you and your clients off and you have to assess and go.
Time is money in this biz so you gotta be thorough but quick.
Fifteen minutes is your time.
Put your probe in the side of the pit to use as a measuring stick.
Dig your pit and smooth the face of the area as wide as your pole.
Enough room to not only look at the snow but then be able to cut columns for your test.
By using two thermometers at once you’ve got the option to expedite the process.
Use your hand brush whatever to feel the layers out and expose them.
Cut the back of the block from both sides with your saw and eliminate the column in the middle.
Now you have two isolated columns.
Do your CT(compression tests wrist, elbow and shoulder.)
tests and check your results.
I dug to 110 cms and hit ground.
That means very not good.
If you were guiding, you’d get the hell out of there.
So far so good.
My transient test results confirmed the still awful stability in the trees.
Lay your skis out and dig the block face to your desired depth, 160 cms again is good.
Isolate the sides of the block to a pole length with your shovel/saw.
The idea is to get your skis on, and get on the block.
Then you determine the stability by that number.
Exactly why you keep your Float pack on during a test.
I can only imagine what is was like on Sunday in these trees.
The block itself triggered remotely with a Q1(easy clean) shear as well.
Make you own decisions and do your own tests on your own ability level, using your own judgement.
I skied down linking snow-covered debris piles to stay out of trouble.
Ground to Twenty cms: Four finger 3mm moist loose facets.
