A hard and icy snowpack
26th January 2023
The snowpack has frozen up in the past 24 hours as the temperatures have dropped. Although there is a low avalanche risk, mountain travel now has more serious risks in terms of hard icy slopes and runout and slip potential.
There were some large creep lines in the snow, well back from the cornice edge into the plateau. These have occurred earlier in the week in the mild temperatures. Everything has frozen up and solidified now in these colder temperatures.
The top of Easy Gully showing slumped / fractured cornices and creep lines.
Rime ice that has formed in the last 18 hours or so, since the temperatures have dropped.
Temperature history over the last 24 hours or so. It shows the dramatic drop in temperature at 900 metres, during yesterday morning, from plus 5 degrees to below freezing.
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