Quick report
- Cracking
- widespread
- Collapsing
- widespread
Dangerous conditions out there! I observed two large natural avalanches that released sometime this morning, one of which was a quarter mile wide! Wow. I also remotely triggered two persistent slab pockets while walking on the ridge. See avalanche section below for more details. Hazard was greatest in wind-loaded terrain where the slab overlying the late November facets was thickest, but sheltered slopes produce frequent collapses that traveled as far as the terrain would allow. Based on the character of the weak layer, this problem will not go away quickly. I'm paying close attention to these facets, particularly as loading continues. There were cars parked at the Titus Lake trailhead, I spent a lot of time ensuring that there was nobody in the terrain below the ridge that could be affected by avalanches before I traveled along it. I avoided traveling in or under any avalanche terrain. It has been brown and snow free down low, but a complex snowpack has been developing in the mountains since October. Being aware of the distribution and character of older snow is critical to traveling safely in the backcountry currently. Collapsing was widespread, nearly all open slopes collapsed as I traveled. Some collapsed multiple times on ascent and again as I descended.
Weather
Variable clouds, brief periods of sun. Lots of snow in transport by the wind.
Avalanche
- Size
- D1.5
- Count
- 3
- Aspect
- NE
- Trigger
- AS
- Elevation
- 9600 ft
Remotely triggered two persistent slab avalanche pockets while walking on ridge top. These failed on weak facets that developed in late November. Slabs broke 50-100 feet wide and failed at the same time. I was hundreds of feet away from the further slope when I triggered it. Called these D1.5, with a meatier slab/steeper slope they could have been larger but trees in the runout and shallowing slopes prevented this.