Quick report
• A few very small (D1) wet loose sluffs on steep slopes above the river and highway. • No other avalanches observed. • Snowpack surface was moist up to about 6000’ which limited wind transport. • Moderate to heavy wind loading above 6000’ where the snowpack surface was still dry. • Found a poor structure snowpack with 1-3’ of snow from February that’s stiffening into a more cohesive slab over the late-Jan. weak layer of facets. • Dug a hasty pit just above the Burnout path at 5200’ on an east aspect. Snow depth was 37” with a 12” slab on top of the late-Jan. facets. ECTN22 and CT21/Q2 on the slab/facet interface. • Dug a 2nd hasty pit in the Shed 4D path at 5300’ on an easterly aspect. Same snow depth and structure as we found in Burnout. ECTN13 on top of the late-Jan. facets, then ECTP24 near the ground on an old layer of facets. • Third hasty pit in the Shed 5 path at 6000’ on a SE aspect. Snow depth was 67” with 24” of wind slab on top of late-Jan. weak layer. No fractures on this interface. But ECTP23 about 10” down, which was the most recent wind slab.
Weather
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- moderate
- Rain Elevation
- 5500
- Recent Snowfall
- 0
• Broken skies becoming mostly cloudy by the afternoon. Occasional light snow above 6000’ with light rain on the Canyon floor. • A windy day with moderate to light winds from the SW on the Canyon floor with strong SW winds above 5500’. • Also a warm day with daytime high temperatures reaching the low-40s °F on the Canyon floor. Above 6000’ temperatures range from the mid-20s to 30 °F.
Avalanche
Wet loose sluffs, D1s on steep cut banks above the rail, highway, and river.