Persistent Slabs
- Hochgebirge
- Waldgrenze
- Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
- Wahrscheinlichkeit
- Possible
- Größe
- 2
Yesterday, Craig rode in Chalk Creek, I was near Gold Hill/Moffit Peak, and Ted was at Elizabeth Pass. We all found a similar snow structure of soft snow on top, slightly denser snow in the middle, and very soft, sugary snow at the bottom. Craig describes it in the video below, and Ted's photo of the snowpack shows it as well. Overall, the snowpack is weak, faceted and shallow.
What does it mean? In some places with slightly deeper snow, mostly at upper elevations, there is a possibility of triggering an avalanche where a soft slab rests on top of this weak snowpack. Any place with a slab of wind drifted snow on top of this rotten snowpack could definitely slide as well. I experienced collapsing and cracking in many places which told me if I had gotten on a steeper slope, I could have triggered an avalanche.
Looking ahead - The approaching storm will create dangerous avalanche conditions. What's especially scary this weekend is that you won't have to ride on a steep slope to trigger an avalanche. Just going near or under a steep slope will be enough to trigger a slide that comes crashing down on top of you.
Photo of shooting cracks near Moffit Peak, an obvious sign of instability. When we see these signs before the storm, it tells us that conditions will definitely be unstable after the storm.
Video of Craig describing the snowpack structure in Chalk Creek.
Ted's photo of the general snowpack structure near Elizabeth Pass, but a similar structure exists in many places and has set the stage for avalanches and dangerous conditions when more snow comes.