NW aspect 6200’
37 degree slope
11:48am
27f
41cm snow pack
ECT6P
Full propagation on depth hoar layer 26cm deep.
PST 40/100 END
SW aspect at 6800’
Air temp -1c
CT16NP
ECT21NP
PST6
23” snowpack
The same two layers, wind/sun or rain crust with a surface hoar layer and 8-10” of depth hoar/facets at this location. We did not see cracking, collapsing or whoomphing. Traveled up the ridge of the south aspect of the sunshine mine drainage.
Approximately at 45 31’58”N 11101’45”W
There were many loose snow avalanches or sluffs with the 8" of new snow in Hyalite. These avalanches were not breaking as slabs but a thin layer of weak, near-surface facets caused the new snow to slide actively. Photo: N. Salsburg
There were many loose snow avalanches or sluffs with the 8" of new snow in Hyalite. These avalanches were not breaking as slabs but a thin layer of weak, near surface facets caused the new snow to slide actively. Photo: S. Reinsel
Toured in divide basin today. I dug a pit at 9400’ on a NE aspect (HS130) to look for weak layers and found 3. There is a layer of near surface facets at 110 cm, buried surface hoar at 92 and depth hoar 61 to the ground. Between 90 and 62 there is a 1 finger slab. The depth hoar is very weak. I did an extended column test and it did not propogate, but I was not planning on skiing slopes steeper than 30 degrees anyways. High clouds in the AM gave way to bluebird skies in the afternoon. Around 1:30 the temperature began to rise and I left before the snow got sticky. A SW wind was moving snow along hyalite ridge, where there were numerous small loose dry avalanches. Winds were fairly calm in the basin but there evidence of wind transport.
A natural avalanche occurred on an East aspect in the Maid of the Mist basin. It appeared to have slid last night/this morning. Visibility made it difficult to determine the extent of the debris or the depth of the crown.
From obs: "A natural avalanche occurred on an East aspect in the Maid of the Mist basin. It appeared to have slid last night/this morning. Visibility made it difficult to determine the extent of the debris or the depth of the crown." Photo: S. Wilson
A natural avalanche occurred on an East aspect in the Maid of the Mist basin. It appeared to have slid last night/this morning. Visibility made it difficult to determine the extent of the debris or the depth of the crown.
From notes: "There was about 6" of new snow in Flanders. It snowed on and off all morning and kicked in again around noon. There was no wind. We climbed Killer Pillar (E. facing, ~8600'). In about a 45 minute span we had 5-6 large sluffs barrel over the top of the climb and run a few hundred feet down the gully...a long ways... It was running so fast and far I had to stop and dig a quick pit to see why. It was near-surface faceting under the snow... LS-N-R2-D,... by the time they all ran I imagine a lot of the bowl above had released. I was super psyched that we both had our lighweight shovels and probes and were beeping. You just never know!"
From obs: "Sometime mid-day the steep rocky terrain above the going home couloir as well as the start zones in Tyler’s avalanched, just new snow, SS-N-D1R2-I. Just guessing about the trigger but didn’t see tracks going in, although there were certainly lots of people around." Photo: Sam H.
