"Let's Face The Music And Dance" ..............

Better to avoid having to get the search tools out in anger!

A lucky escape in a slide yesterday and from a localised hot spot as well forecasted on NE aspects by the local SAIS observer. The snow pit profile shows faceting under the icy crust. Things are setting up for longer lasting instability both from deep faceting under the crust and also the continuing snowfalls driven by strong winds on top of crust. While yesterdays slide had no consequences as it was a clean run out and the victim stayed on the surface, the victim was on their own. At the time of the slide he triggered there was poor flat light. When it cleared it was easy to see the pillows of localised danger as the snow was denser and reflected light less. Further around the mountain at a mid point on the NE facing piste overlooking Creis there was a West facing pillow of excellent snow running from the piste slightly due west overlooking the Cam Glen. Folk were nibbling at the edges getting half a dozen turns in each cut moving further down and round West not realising that the aspect had changed and the angle crept up. Very risky behaviour as its loaded and tips in at 32 deg and has a fucking great hole at the bottom if it unzips. The obvious risk was where the avalanche occurred and although it could have been worse was at least a clean line.There is nothing clean about the Cam Glen gulch. It's a high consequence line even in a small slide. Remember my post from a while back on 4 "A"'s and 3 "C"'s   >>>> CONSEQUENCES!

There may be trouble ahead 
But while there's music and moonlight and love and romance 

Before the fiddlers have fled 
Before they ask us to pay the bill and while we still have the chance 

Soon we'll be without the moon, humming a different tune and then 
There may be teardrops to shed 

Make sure there are no teardrops by reading the SAIS forecast and thinking about what's going on. 

I will have the first Tracker 3 in Europe by next week