SPC – Soda Special
- Posted on February 18, 2021
Weather Forecast
Snow shower continue into Wednesday night favoring areas in the northern Front Range zone. Nighttime low temperatures drop into the negative digits. Showers end on Thursday as drier air works into Colorado. Northwest winds increase at the ridgetops as the jet lifts across the State.
Avalanche Danger
Persistent Slab: Large to very large likely on all aspects and elevations
Avoid traveling on below slopes steeper than around 30 degrees. Avalanche conditions are dangerous. Avalanches can break wide and run long distances. You can trigger avalanches from below slopes or from a distance away. Places you have traveled in previous years may not be safe this year under these conditions. Give all avalanche terrain a wide buffer.
Ski Partners
Limit skiing to a small terrain selection assessed as having acceptable risk until the situation has clearly changed. New evidence continues to be gathered and monitored for changing conditions, but new terrain is only considered for opening if there is compelling evidence to do so (for example if an avalanche was observed that definitely removed the layer of concern).
Entrenchment mode is a successful operating strategy for persistent slab instabilities.Establish a limited base of acceptable operating terrain and be disciplined to operate only within that designated terrain as long as necessary for the persistent instability to run its course. Expect this to take longer than anticipated and do not step out into new terrain prematurely. Plan to maintain this discipline beyond the time when all evidence seems to indicate that the persistent instability is no longer a concern.
When dealing with persistent instabilities, discipline is more likely to be successful than cleverness –it is better to wait out the instability than to try to outsmart it.
Route
Snowcat to East Ridge of Soda. Skied 2x off West Ridge, 1x Poppy fields, Lower Soda nose > ramp. Skinned out to Dry Lake.
Weather
AM Obs: OVC S-1 and calm
PM Obs: Mostly Cloudy S-1 with a light W breeze
Hn24: 3″; Hn48: 17″; Ski pen: Just below knee cap
HSN24
3"
HSN48
17"
Precip
S1
Sky
Mostly cloudy
Winds
Light W breeze
Temps
5-10F
Ski Pen
Below kneecap
Snowpack Observations
30″ settling storm snow on a stiff mid-pack all on top of weak facets
Avalanche Activity
None observed. Two very large fatal avalanches on deep persistent slab over the last few days.
