Avalanche

Black Crater

Avalanche.org observerCentral Cascades
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Quick report

Boot-top penetration on saturated snow an 6,000'. Consistent rain until 11am on 1/5, up to about 6,600'. We only skied sub-30 degree terrain, and did not conduct any other tests or observations beyond getting eyes on the slides in the crater.

Avalanche

Size
D2
Aspect
E
Trigger
N
Elevation
6000 ft

Many wet loose avalanches observed in the East crater of Black Crater on NE and E slopes between 6,400'-5,400'. About 60% of the crater was filled with avalanche debris, with many point releases, pinwheels, and roller balls observed. Some avalanches were still observed to be moving slowly around 10am. I skied the shoulder of Black Crater on Saturday morning as well, and no avalanches were observed. Steady rain Saturday night into Sunday morning created really saturated snow at higher elevations than anticipated, likely triggering this series of avalanches.