Avalanche on Gothic's North Face

[hikingfish]

Hi all, here's an email I just received from the ACC custodian at the Keene Valley hut:

Hi everyone!
The following was posted on the Rock and River
web site last night. Be aware that avalanche danger is
very high at this time and that the warm weather could
turn the avalanche conditions from slab to slag.
Carefully evaluate the snow conditions before
attempting any slides. It could mean your life!!!

From "www.rockandriver.com"

I just received an e-mail on an attempt on the North
Face of Gothics today. The pair said much deep,
unconsolidated snow was encountered and little or no
real ice showing. They headed in from the left of the
small vertical entry step (8 foot vertical wall in the
middle of the face which has no ice this year) and
angled up right. High up the slab of snow they were on
cut loose and they took the big ride all the way
down!!! No serious injuries (and lucky to be alive)
but 3 tools and 1 snowshoe is somewhere up on the
face. If anyone finds it please e-mail me as I have
there address...

So this is the third group (probably more) that i know
of that has gone down the face. The other two went all
1000 feet and one broke his leg and one other was
bloodied but able to walk out! Still not a recommended
decent strategy though...

Please be careful out there!

Fish

 

[Doc McPeak]

Wow, scary.
I'm doing Gothics in a couple days ... via the trails!
The chance of rain might really make things dicey on the slides soon.
I wonder if the steepness kept the guys above the main pile?

 

[bubba]

Mr McPeak, it's now settled, on Monday descending the Gothics cable route you are going first!

YEAH!! Why else have him around!!!

 

[daxegraphix]

avalanche conditions

I just read the post on Gothics--a day after I went up the Bennie's Brook slide.
I was dimly aware of the possiblility of avalanche conditions and stayed aware as I walked/climbed up the left side of Bennie's. Fortunately I was OK and didn't have any avalanche problems. However, knowing now that there was a real possibility, I'll be me more cautious for the rest of the season. I'll be checking the conditions ahead of time. I wore a helmet for the first time but that's not much good if you're buried in a couple feet of snow.

 

[peak_bgr]

YEAH!! Why else have him around!!!

Ouch that's gotta hurt

 

[blacklab2020]

We climbed a slide on Algonquin on Sunday Morning and with the sun, I started a loose snow avalanche that turned into somewhat of a slab slide on top of a layer of crust.

It was 6 inches wide at the top and about 25 feet wide by the bottom... Stopped about 10 feet in front of my belayer!!!

We talked with a group on colden, who just finished the trap dyke on saturday and they sent a fracture out through the snow, at the steep section in the dyke before moving out on the windblown slabs

The slide we climbed didnt appear to have a lot of snow, however when high on it if you didnt climb the snow (i.e. the crust layer in the angle of the slope) you would be swimming in about 4-5 ft of powder underneath

Conditions are definitely ripe with avalanche potential up there.

With the warmer conditions and rain, be careful out there.

 

[AOC-1]

Justin, a technical route on Algonquin? Where were you?

 

[blacklab2020]

There is a beautiful WI3+/4 slide near the base of algonquin. We did colden on saturday and drooled all day at the south slides on Algonquin and thought to give it a go.

The left side at the base is quite technical and the right slide is ~55-60 degrees in spots with a few ice bulges. We went up the right and bushwhacked back over, but there was some ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS ice and I WILL be back for sure.

See pictures here: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/558153451GjXTsN

Is that temple crag in your avatar?