Quick report
We toured into Cascadilla Creek, following up on reports of at least one slab avalanche in the previous two days. We hoped to check for crust/facet combinations and/or persistent weak layers. We found saturated, wet snow over the Christmas crust. To preserve our knees, we turned around at about 4700 feet, when the height of this layer increased to ~20-30 cm.
- We saw debris piles from multiple natural loose wet avalanches that looked to have run late yesterday (Friday, 1/2).
- The only signs of instability we saw were some fresh roller balls below about 4000 feet.
- Though visibility was in and out, we detected the crown of a shallow natural slab avalanche on a mid-elevation, northeasterly slope.
We escaped with our knees intact.
Some rollerballs below 4000 feet.Weather
- Air Temp
- 33
- Cloud Cover
- broken
- Wind Loading
- none
- Rain Elevation
- at least 5500'
- Recent Snowfall
- 2-4 from 3400-4300' or so, 0 from 4300-4900' (high point)
- Snow Avail For Transport
- none
Warm and wet. Temps just above freezing w light rain mid-late morning. Variable sky conditions: valley fog, broken with patches of blue, peaks obscured, high clouds over peaks. Calm.
Snowpack
At the low elevations where we traveled, we found nothing but wet schmoo, gwaunch, and crusts, with minimal snow accumulation from yesterday's weak system. Below about 4500 feet, we found 1-4 inches of snow above the supportable Christmas crust. The depth of snow above the Christmas crust doubled shortly above that elevation. Wet, sticky, and not draining. Heavy. Had "wreck your knees here" written all over it.
Avalanche
- Size
- D2
- Type
- U
- Count
- 3
- Aspect
- NE
- Trigger
- N
- Elevation
- 6200 ft
Multiple small to large loose wet avalanches in mid-low elevation gullies on either side of valley. The debris seemed to entrain snow and run nearly full path. One shallow slab on a mid-elevation northeasterly slope. Hard to make out crown flanks and debris in flat light.