Quick report
- Collapsing
- isolated
A generally right-side-up snowpack with a few recent storm interfaces that could come alive with the next storm. We continue to observe concerning failures in the JDL around two feet deep. One loud collapse walking above a drifted north aspect, but no cracking with it. Lots of recreation on steeper slopes at lower elevations. An avalanche triggered today would take finding the right spot, but would be large and difficult to escape if you did.
We observed a loud, rumbling collapse along a wind-drited area on a low-angle north-facing slope along a ridgeline.Weather
- Cloud Cover
- broken
- Wind Loading
- none
- Recent Snowfall
- 30 to 50 since 2/14
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Mix bag of cloud cover with subtle pokes of sun. A few moments of fog too. Temperatures felt mild compared to recent trend. Winds were remarkably calm along ridgelines above 6,000 feet.
Snowpack
We dug a targeted hole on a northeast-facing slope in a wind-drifted area. The slab above the JDL was generally 1F to P in the lower half, and F to 4F in the upper half - total slab depth just shy of 70 cm. We observed a CT SC failure with 21 taps in a prior storm interface with obvious large graupel. We also observed an ECTP 28 with 28 taps in the JDL (1 mm faceted grains). A subtle placement of the shovel behind the column and it cash-drawered into the pit. We could feel a breakable crust with weaker snow below on west-facing terrain a mid and lower elevations. No collapses observed on these slopes with this structure below.
Avalanche
- Size
- D1
- Type
- SS
- Aspect
- N
- Trigger
- AM
- Elevation
- 5000 ft
A snowmobile triggered a small cut bank along the road from above. It was not there when we rode up in the morning.