2/13/11

it's been blowing like the Dickens


sastrugi

various surface irregularities resulting from wind erosion, saltation of snow particles and deposition.


Was up on Mt. Republic yesterday, 10 minutes from the top (3 hours in), planning a GLOrious center punch of the east face, when out of nowhere came immediate and sustained duck-and-cover winds.  Soon Plans A, B and C were all off limits (avy hazard).
A rather annoying destruction of perfect powder.  But cool to be humbled by Mother Nature's wrath.
Posted by mt surf at 9:44 AM

3 comments:

  1. wounded kneeFebruary 13, 2011 at 11:49 AM

    We intersected your up-track on Woody Ridge coming down-valley from Republic Peak. Hurricane force ridge-top winds while we were well protected in a climax whitebark pine forest. Made you think about what it would be like without the protection of those beautiful old trees, or what it would be like to try and navigate through a lodgepole forest rather than the perfectly spaced whitebark.
    YOF

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  2. mt surfFebruary 13, 2011 at 12:16 PM

    Word whitebark.

    I was thinking the same thing... listening to the wind howl about their tops. A few limbs breaking, but relatively good shelter. Hazard tree awareness necessary. Being in a lodgepole forest would have been scary.

    Did you climb Republic Pk?!

    ReplyDelete
  3. wildernessgirlFebruary 14, 2011 at 4:36 PM

    YOF introduced me to the word "sastrugi"...love the word, but don't like what it does!

    ReplyDelete

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