Valdez Ski Report and Pit – March 13, 2015 (1900 AKT)

With a change in wind direction, Moonlight Basin to the base of South Odessey Gulley kept me in calm conditions with occasional flurries and flat-light descent.   Pitted the base of South Odessey Gulley and low and behold, found that thick ice layer that I’d pretty much forgotten about. Still stout in regards to deeper instabilities, so concern remains CONSIDERABLE above 3000′ on mainly WSE aspects due to widespread slapping in Thompson Pass. Otherwise, increased slab densities mixed with variable surface conditions made for fair skiing over a few centimeters of new snow.  Another inch is forecast overnight and should help improve general touring conditions. I found some hard snows at the surface so sharpen your ski edges and a self arrest ski pole might be a good idea.

Sunny and fair weather moves Saturday afternoon with rapid warming to the 30’s in Valdez by Monday along with rain and snow mixed. Winds switch to southerly on Sunday.