Quick report
- Cracking
- specific
I went for a quick tour in the Mill City area today to get a feel for mid-storm conditions.
- New snow totals in the field were measured from 50-80 cm, with areas conducive to wind loading holding much more.
- I did note that the upper 10" or snow of new snow was denser than the lower reaches of the new snow. This gave the new snow a distinctly upsidedown "trap door" feel and likely contributed to my storm slab observations. This trend became more distinct as the day moved on and temperatures increased.
- I triggered several shooting cracks as deep as 60 cm in the new snow and as long as 50' while poking around on test slopes.
- I triggered one avalanche I would classify as D1.5 on a healthy-sized test slope with a crown depth of 60 cm. (see avalanche ob for more details)
- I was careful to avoid large, steep, and unsupported slopes today; I suspect this type of avalanche would be very likely in more consequential terrain.
Weather
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- intense
- Recent Snowfall
- 70
- Snow Avail For Transport
- large amounts
Heavy snowfall and extreme winds made for a wet and unpleasant day in the mountains today. Visibility was limited as snow fall rates hovered in the 2-3"/ hr throughout my short tour. In exposed areas, I found the winds to be strong enough to stop me in my tracks and challenge my balance.
Avalanche
- Size
- D1.5
- Type
- SS
- Aspect
- NE
- Trigger
- AS
- Elevation
- 8600 ft
I triggered this avalanche while approaching a decent-sized test slope on the shoulder of Panorama dome. along with the avalanche i initiated several large shooting cracks in the hangfire.