Quick report
- Aspect
- Northeast
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Heavy Snowfall, Wind Loading, Cracking, Collapsing
- Elevation
- 2896 m
- Slope Angle
- 29°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Storm day- I saw lots of red flags and stuck to ridge travel and slopes under 30 degrees. Even with that plan I was able to initiate new snow avalanches running on a density change. Any slope that took a hint of wind had natural avalanche activity. The question wasn't so much if a slope was going to avalanche-but where it would take you if you were involved. One loud collapse on the ridgeline at 10,400' on a northeast facing slope where the entire cornice audibly cracked and collapsed and was not steep enough to slide. </p>
This layer 45cm from the surface was the density change where most of the avalanches were being triggered.
Photo 1-Cornice formation north facing slope 10,200'
Photo 2- Skier triggered avalanche 50' wide ran 100' to flats 12" deep northwest facing 9800'
Photo 3-Avalanche 40' wide ran 50' to flats 14-16" deep west facing 9100' (unknown trigger)
Photo 4- North facing avalanche 9200' above traditional skin track into Grizzly (unknown trigger)
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>This north facing slope at 9600' was steep enough to slump-but not steep enough to slide. Further up the ridge any slope over 30 degrees was easy to trigger or had avalanched naturally. </p> <p> </p>
12-16" of new snow. There was a density change within the new snow and this was the layer that new snow avalanches were running on. Slopes above 30 degrees were avalanching naturally with a hint of wind. Human triggered avalanches on this new snow density change were very easy to initiate.