Avalanche

Ptarmigan Ridge, Lasiocarpa

Adam TronnesWest Slopes North
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Quick report

Cracking
isolated

Skies were obscured to overcast with moments of sun breaking through around noon. We observed moderate to heavy ridgetop winds throughout the day primarily out of the S. Consistent snow transport off ridges throughout the day. Light snowfall began around 1400 as we were exiting. We initially did not observe any obvious signs of instability in the new storm snow. As the day continued, we started to observe wind slab formation on lee slopes, with moderate to strong ridgetop winds out of the south. Most of these were quite thin, with the thickest we saw throughout the day being 6-8in thick.

Weather

Cloud Cover
overcast
Wind Loading
moderate
Snow Avail For Transport
moderate amounts

Avalanche

Size
D1.5 R3
Type
SS
Aspect
NE
Trigger
AS
Elevation
5800 ft

We noted the avalanche occured on top of the new snow from the recent storm, and did not step down to the weak layer from previous days. The bed surface was 16+ in of storm snow and skied quite nicely.