Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Heavy Snowfall, Wind Loading, Poor Snowpack Structure
Avoiding avalanche terrain, a walk up MCC was the plan. Finding numerous roadside 10-20' cut banks had avalanched during the storm showed instabilities in the new snow. But the large, timber filled debris piles of the Thousand Springs avalanches were surprising. The debris was up to 2m deep in places and crossed the creek and went up the opposite side of the drainage. The two separate avalanches have been cataloged in the UAC list, and this observation is more a general overview of all the activity noted along the roadway. This corridor is full of hikers, sledders, and dogs. I did not see any warning signage in the area that there is avalanche potential along this route.
Photo 1: Thousand Springs West Gully
Photo 2: Road crossing with XC skier- no gear
Photo 3 : Thousand Springs East Gully
Photo 4: Thousand Springs East Gully Debris
Photo 5: Thousand Springs East Gully Debris 2
Photo 6: Cut banks near summer cabins
Photo 7: Hillside near Little Water overflow parking
Photo 8: Creek bed slab blocks triggered by adjacent avalanche
Video: Thousand Springs avalanches
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Did not see cracking or collapsing today. Quick informal roadside obs showed 1-2' of strong dense snow over weaker faceted snow failing on isolation with a ski pole. The avalanches at the Thousands springs area were alarming and crossed onto the roadway where lots of people are walking/skiing. The roadside cutbanks also avalnched but appeared to be more storm slab related.</p>
At the winter gate the snow had a rain crust overlying medium density snow. As you ascend, the rain crust disappears around 6400'. The wind effect reached all the way down into the road corridor and dense snowdrifts existed along the side of the skin track.