Snow Bridges at 14,000 Feet: Field-Tested Load Checks
It's 6 a.m. on a Sierra pass, and the snow is already hissing under my skis. We're headed toward a steep couloir that requires crossing a snow bridge over a small crevasse. The bridge looks fine from a distance—smooth, white, maybe a few feet thick. But this is late season, and late-season means the snow has been through a lot. Melt-freeze cycles, solar radiation, and hidden meltwater have all taken their toll. The bridge might be solid rock-hard crust, or it might be a shell over a void. You don't know until you probe it. And testing it faulty can be fatal. This guide is about load-testing protocols for those uncertain spans. Not the theory, but the practical steps we use in the field, with the caveats and judgment calls that come with real snow.