Quick report
- Cracking
- isolated
We poked around in the Swan Lake area to check on new snow and wind-loading:
- We found touchy pockets of wind-drifted snow at upper elevations
- These pockets were located on specific terrain feautres (along ridges, gullies and midslope convexities).
- Slabs were 4-6 inches thick.
- We intentionally triggered a D1.5 soft slab below a ridge line.
- With light-moderate blowing snow, this problem will continue to develope.
- Our pit at 6600' NE aspect had a propagating result with moderate force in the top 16".
- No action from solar today but we found several wet-loose debris piles from warming on Monday.
We rode one at a time on short slopes of 35+ degrees.
We initiated shooting cracks and intentionally triggered a small avalanche in wind-drifted snow.Weather
- Cloud Cover
- broken
- Wind Loading
- moderate
- Recent Snowfall
- 6 inches
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
1" of new snow at the highway increasing to 8" at upper elevation. Sun broked out for only a couple minutes. Westerly winds light and gusting to moderate in the afternoon. Short-lived squalls of S1-2 with rapidly diminished visibility.
Snowpack
@ 6600 feet NE aspect: HS = 250+ cm, ECTP20 down 40 cm on preserved stellar dentrites and DF. ECTN10,17 in the top 30 cm.
Avalanche
- Size
- D1.5 R1
- Type
- SS
- Count
- 4
- Aspect
- N
- Trigger
- AS
- Elevation
- 7200 ft
Ski cut small avalanche in wind-drifted snow.