Haystack Creek
Quick report
• A welcomed cold front that moved through the region the past few days has left behind a thick supportable crust and 4-6 inches of fresh snowfall accumulated at upper elevations. • Avalanche concerns were few today with a cold, calm, and cloudy day up on the divide. However, around 2:00pm as we retreated back to the lower valley, the once thick clouds began to give way to sunshine and views of the surrounding peaks. We did not stick around long enough to find out what the afternoon sunshine would bring with it, but I would not be surprised to see a barrage of small loose snow avalanches tomorrow morning. Mostly quiet day on the divide until about 12:30pm when we began to hear rumblings of unstable snow shedding from the southwestern slopes of Mount Gould. Three of these events were brief, and we suspect them to be nothing more than rime ice peeling away from the upper elevation cliffs. One event however was quite loud and crashed for at least 15 seconds or more.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 20
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- light
- Recent Snowfall
- 12
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Very cloudy most of the day with thick fog above about 7200'. Very light snowfall with only a trace accumulated by days end and temps hovering in the low 20s. Recent wind effect was minimal and todays winds remained calm/light out of the southeast.
Snowpack
• Two pit profiles collected near Haystack Saddle while working as an upper watch for the NPS road crew. One on north facing and another on east facing. Both pits dug at about 7000'. Pit profiles with the details attached. • 4-6 inches of overnight snowfall with an additional trace accumulated today. Recent wind effect was insignificant, but there were a few drifty spots with up to 10" deposited.
Avalanche
• Four avalanches heard between 12:20pm and 1:40pm. Obscured visibility above 7200' and flat light made it difficult to identify the exact location or the size of the slides. The slides are believed to have originated on the southwest slopes of Mount Gould above Big Bend. • Also noted that the previous large glide avalanche on Heaven's Peak East Face (reported 4/10/24) released an additional significant glide avalanche, expanding the original crown (possibly twofold). And a new glide crack has formed on the same face in an adjacent terrain feature. This original glide expanded last weekend during consecutive nights of above freezing temperatures.