Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Wind Loading, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>There have been several recent small wind slab avalanches in upper Talking Mountain Cirque (NW), Tukno (NE), and Dory Canyon (N) in areas that have been heavily loaded by wind transport. I did a quick (terribly cold wind) snowpit today to evaluate Goldminers and found some interesting stuff. Firstly, it was awesome to find 160 cm of snow on a SSE aspect at 11,500 feet! We had failures in our single ECT test at the following layers 1) ECTP11 @ 115cm (~resistant planar) with a very smooth Q1 shear surface at the bottom of the last wet snow cycle, 2) Then on the 13th hit before clearing the slab off of the 115 cm break, we had an ECTP 13 @ 98 cm with a sudden planar Q1 shear that popped out like an inch on 1.5 mm facets under an old suncrust - not good... and 3) finally, after pulling off the 98 cm slab, I gorilla slapped (2 handed full body slap!) the remaining column and got a sudden collapse failure in the December facets. These results sent us skinning back up onto the windy Laurel Ridgeline back to the North Woods refuge. Unfortunately, this result adding to the large 2'-3' avalanche we had on lower Show-Off over to lower Funnel (SW aspects) a few weeks back are indicating persistent weak layers even on the south faces.</p>
The shear surface at the new snow interface from our storm that ended yesterday. You can also see the facets under the suncrust @ 98cm.
Here is the shear surface at 98 cm where we had the sudden planar failure. Definitely not something I want to be on top of.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>There are lots of wind slabs out there and this storm seems like it will add to the problem.</p> <p>Facets under a snow crust and basal facets are both persistent weak layers in south facing mid to upper elevation slopes. I would also add in a 'new snow' concern from the last storm, which did produce a ECTP11 under a 45 cm slab, which is nothing to scoff at.</p>
There is still plenty of soft snow about in areas sheltered from the wind. Punchy areas where the prior wet snow breaks also exist. The top of the north woods had about 1" of new snow around 2pm.