Quick report
Wet afternoon at Blue Lakes, with strong winds and fluctuating rain lines averaging 7800ft. Near and above that elevation, there was lots of snow blowing in the wind, even with only an inch or so of dry new snow available. Visibility was poor, but I did see two recent avalanches on E aspects of The Nipple - one just south of the summit and the other just north of it. In flat terrain, rain had penetrated much of the snowpack, and it was challenging to ride due to being unsupportable. On slopes with decent drainage, only the top 1/3 of the snowpack was wet/moist, and a distinct layer of facets just below that was still dry and loose. Formal snowpack tests were unreactive but this layer was concerning nonetheless.
Weather
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- moderate
- Rain Elevation
- 7800
- Recent Snowfall
- 3
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Small amounts of snow for wind transport, but what was there was blowing around a lot. Rain line fluctuated throughout the afternoon
Avalanche
- Size
- D2
- Count
- 2
- Aspect
- E
- Trigger
- N
- Elevation
- 8600 ft
Unsafe to approach and poor visibility, so not a lot of info. One of two similar avalanches