[TR] hubba-hubba hill - the funnel 03/15/2019

[montypiton]

Trip: hubba-hubba hill - the funnel

Trip Date: 03/15/2019

Trip Report:

not so much a trip report as a caution.  Mark Shipman and I tromped up Hubba-Hubba Hill this morning to jump on the fattest ice I'd seen in the Funnel in decades.  Warm temps and falling bits & pieces convinced us to climb a more sheltered line left of the main Funnel flow.  After climbing our very short line, we hemmed & hawed about jumping on the main flow, but the bits & pieces were getting larger, and the snow under our feet was by that time propagating micro-slabs from our footsteps - so we bailed & glissaded back to the parking lot.  While loading our gear into Mark's car, we heard a roar, and I jumped around the car to where I could see the Funnel.  All three feeder gullies above the funnel were running full volume, pouring what must have been tons of snow into the staging area where we'd been standing not an hour earlier.  We watched slack-jawed while snow poured through the funnel, completely obscuring all four climbing lines for well over a full minute.  In past years I have climbed over avalanche debris piles 10+ feet tall when approaching these climbs, and I had always told myself these piles were the result of numerous repeated events.  as of this morning, I'm thinking maybe not...

caught unprepared, neither of us had the presence of mind to dig out a phone (in the pockets of sweaters in our packs) and record this epic slide for y'all.  sincerest apologies.  take care on shaded/north-facing slopes near treeline this weekend!  nwac appears to have received reports of similar events from other observers...

-Haireball

Gear Notes:
irrelevant

Approach Notes:
park at Eightmile road, cross the river and walk uphill. or - stay at your car with binoculars/camera and wait

[Michael Telstad]

Shit! Climbed the main flow on Thursday and everything seemed solid but HOT! Nothing falling off and the snow seemed very consolidated. I guess pushing my partner to bring avy gear was the right move. If not to just find our bodies. 

The Funnel lives up to it's name!

[montypiton]

we saw you guys on Thursday - we were doing an "old farts' training walk on the approach.  glad you had a good climb.   seeing how stable it looked on Thursday with you guys on it was what prompted us to go for it Friday...