Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Triggered one and possibly (remote?) two persistent slab avalanches, reported elsewhere in the obs. Almost like cheating though ~ if one were to more readily trigger a P~slab avalanche, it would be in this very steep, shallow, rotten and rocky terrain. </p>
Dawn patrol in hopes of catching the blood red super blue moon lunar eclipse. Cloud cover didn't cooperate until 730 or so and only caught the late partial eclipse. Photo below. Other photos are of the two avalanches (one) (two) we likely triggered in upper Alexander Basin, cornice development along Gobbler's north ridge...and the old men on the ridgeline.
Low to mid elevation sheltered terrain a mess of facets and - mid-pack Jan 8 crust with overall depths of 50-70+cm. Exceedingly poor structure.
P-Slab issues hardly asleep and remain the primary concern for backcountry travel. Secondary issues include pockets of wind slab and wet loose on southerlies and perhaps low elevation northerlies.
Snowpack
Southerlies are rattly melt-freeze crusts while protected northerlies hold good skiing conditions with hardly noticeable rime crust. Some wind damage in open terrain. Damp on northerlies on low angle exit to MCC.