As we moved along a steep break over near Lick Creek, we triggered shooting cracks and an avalanche on a small test slope. The avalanche slide on a hard melt-freeze crust formed last week. Photo: GNFAC
From obs 3/6/22: "Skinned out to Alex Lowe peak today. Dug a pit on a northeast aspect below the east face of the peak. Got an ECTP 24 to break around 20 cm down. The slab was a knife hard sun/wind crust. Continued up avoiding areas where we noticed that bullet hard crust under the surface. On our decent we skied off the east ridge below the summit and on a skit cut got some shooting cracks, and a small wind slap to propagate but not slide. Skied the rest of the way down and didn’t notice anything else."
From obs (3/6/22): " Skinned out to Alex Lowe peak today. Dug a pit on a northeast aspect below the east face of the peak. Got an ECTP 24 to break around 20 cm down. The slab was a knife hard sun/wind crust. Continued up avoiding areas where we noticed that bullet hard crust under the surface. On our decent we skied off the east ridge below the summit and on a skit cut got some shooting cracks, and a small wind slap to propagate but not slide. Skied the rest of the way down and didn’t notice anything else." Photo: S. Lipsteuer
Skinned out to Alex Lowe peak today. Dug a pit on a northeast aspect below the east face of the peak. Got an ECTP 24 to break around 20 cm down. The slab was a knife hard sun/wind crust. Continued up avoiding areas where we noticed that bullet hard crust under the surface. On our decent we skied off the east ridge below the summit and on a skit cut got some shooting cracks, and a small wind slap to propagate but not slide. Skied the rest of the way down and didn’t notice anything else.
Some spots of dry loose activity on east facing slopes where the melt freeze crust was bullet proof. Higher in the basin the crust wasn't as thick but still supported our weight. No propagation in our tests. ECTN 13 15cm below surface with 10cm of new snow and Q3 shear quality on shovel shear test and compression test. Skied fat maid
Other than that lots of old activity from wet loose and one broken cornice from Arden Peak.
Witnessed a small (R1-D2) naturally released wet loose slide above Silken Falls (8000’, W) at approximately 1:15pm on 3/3/21. Video below.
Upon returning to the Grotto Falls Lot (6900’) at ~3pm we witnessed two more small but powerful naturally triggered wet loose slides near Black Magic (E aspect) and to looker’s right.
