Public Observation #2021-495
Submitted:
December 15, 2021 3:31 PM
Observation Date:
December 14, 2021
Zone or Region:
Central Cascades
Activity:
Skiing/Snowboarding
Location:
Ball Butte
None reported
Parked the sleds at the wilderness boundary and skinned Ball Butte Ridge to the NE bowl. Saw two other parties on Ball Butte and at least one other party on Broken Top throughout the day. On the ridge snow depth fluctuated but in many spots rocks were still showing on the windward side of the ridge but deep consolidated snow drifts extending onto the leeward side of the ridges. Snow depth on the leeward side of the ridge and in the bowl was around 100 cm. Skiied several laps from the main ridge and the summit in the east bowl down to the east side of Ball Butte. Did not observe any whumpfing, shooting cracks, or any other sings of collapse. Very minor sluffing on steep slope angles around 45 degrees only involving the light fresh snow on top of the more consolidated wind distributed snow.