Black Dike NH avalanche and rescue

Ah, Nick…as Bill Putnam mentioned decades ago in an article on Avalanche Safety he wrote for AMC’s Appalachia that “ saturation slides can be fun to ride, but they don’t steer well! “ 

I found that out one day in a “ seated glissade” on the slabs below Eagle cliff. Suddenly I discovered that I was riding on moving snow and no longer “ connected” ( with my ice axe) to the adhered snow beneath. Ah, fortunately things slowed down as the angle diminished and “ we” entered the trees.

Then there was the distinctly less fun saturation slide that poured over the top of a minor serac, pouring 25% over me and 75%  just a little beyond me….where the leader of the second rope of our party had just arrived. I reached down, grabbed the hood of his parka and held on for dear life…one arm holding my axe dug in to the hilt, one arm holding his parka.  

I‘m writing this today, so the three of us (  the leader of rope 2, me, and my leader [ 150 ft above with nothing in] ) didn’t wind up in the bergshrund ( the 4th, maybe too ) but it was one scary 30-45 seconds! 

East coast snowpack is traditionally more stable than out west as we have regular melt-freeze cycles that consolidate the snowpack, as well as things like trees helping to anchor and break-up the sheets of snow. Usually a lot of the risk comes from dissimilar layers/windslab etc. that don't interface and stick together well. We've had a snowy winter with temps staying low, so there have been very few melt-freeze loops. On top of this, Washington and other wind-prone areas are extra risky midwinter as winds aren't necessarily uniform and consistent in the whites as they often are out west due to the confluence of tradewinds (most of my friends out west work ridgelines that typically just see a single wind direction).

The whites in midwinter on steep terrain after recent heavy snow (more than 6 inches) are not something I'd recommend to those not well versed in snow. I'm not a super expert either, but this has kept me safe through various skiing adventures.

I use the wimp method. If it looks scary I will will find something with an easier and safer approach.. 

Thanks for that update Violet. Must be frustrating that they reported incorrect information. 

For future ascensionists during heavy snow conditions: there's some okay-ish rock gear available intermittently in the left side wall starting from a safe nook up by the WG alternate start. It felt kind of lame to belay a snow slope, but seemed like the right call once I got halfway up the gully and realized how deep the windslab was.