Quick report
Skier triggered avalanche on NNE aspect around 7,000 ft. This avalanche was a small D1 windslab that had a crown size of 4-8 in deep and about 20 ft across. The debris did not entrain very much snow. The avalanche was initiated in an area of cross-loaded snow on the edge of a steep rib/lip. Pit near 7,000 ft on a NNW aspect showed 10 inches of low density new snow from the past week. The newer snow has seen transportation from moderate NW winds over Tuesday and Wednesday, and a warming trend started today. We observed numerous wet loose natural avalanches and some older storm slabs that had slid during the storm cycle this past week.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 40
- Cloud Cover
- clear
- Wind Loading
- moderate
- Rain Elevation
- 1000 ft
- Recent Snowfall
- 25
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Warming trend into the 40's began today. Observed some drifting snow on high alpine ridges.
Snowpack
In our pit near 7,000 ft on a NNW aspect, we saw good cohesion in our stability tests on the two persistent weak layers of concern down 2 ft and 3 ft in the snowpack. The top 10 inches of light snow from last week was sitting on a layer of buried surface hoar in our pit location. That new snow/old snow interface failed in our compression tests with minimal force and was difficult to assess with an ECT.
Avalanche
- Size
- D1 R1
- Type
- SS
- Aspect
- NE
- Trigger
- AR
- Elevation
- 7000 ft
Snowboarder triggered a small pocket of windslab (crown 4-8 in depth 20 ft across). Rider was not caught and group was able to further avoid wind loaded ribs/gullies.