Quick report
- Cracking
- specific
- Collapsing
- isolated
Collapsing and shooting cracks ranging from 10 to 100 feet observed in wind loaded aspects.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 30
- Cloud Cover
- obscured
- Wind Loading
- intense
- Rain Elevation
- 4,500
- Recent Snowfall
- 20
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Steady warm temperatures near 30°F with snowfall at the rate of an inch per hour. Below treeline, wind was moderate and blowing from a variety of directions, near treeline on ridges, southerly wind was blowing moderate and gusting strong.
Snowpack
New snow and moderate winds are already making for reactive wind slabs on leewards slopes. Today we observed fresh wind-drifted snow on NW-N-NE aspects with several shooting cracks ranging from 10 to 100 feet long. About 8 inches of fresh snow has accumulated in protected areas and up to one and a half feet on wind loaded aspects, especially below ridges. On an inconsequential test slope we triggered a wind slab avalanche that was an excellent representation of the considerable avalanche hazard near treeline (see attached).
Avalanche
- Size
- D1 R2
- Aspect
- NW
- Trigger
- AS
- Elevation
- 6500 ft
Intentional skier triggered wind slab avalanche on a NW aspect at 6,500 near Castle Lake.