Quick report
- Cracking
- specific
Our goals today were to observe the new snow. Specifically: 1) to test the sensitivity of wind slabs and storm slabs below and near treeline, and 2) to see if we could get any feedback about new snow on our persistent grains.
We found small, reactive wind slabs on favored lee slopes. These failed generally on interfaces within the new snow. Intense blowing snow at higher elevations and near the crest increased our confidence that wind slabs were the primary problem for the day.
Although we observed no storm slab avalanches, we initiated abundant shooting cracks on storm interfaces throughout the tour. To be fair, we did not spend much time on slopes steep enough to sustain a storm slab avalanche.
We got very little feedback about the new snow interacting with buried facets.
Weather
- Air Temp
- Below freezing
- Cloud Cover
- broken
- Wind Loading
- moderate
- Rain Elevation
- Below 7000 ft
- Recent Snowfall
- 20-40cm
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
The day started cool with obscured skies, light to moderate winds, and moderate to heavy snowfall intensity. For the rest of the day, the weather alternated between partial sun and bouts of convective snow showers. Winds were moderate to strong in the afternoon, blowing snow around.
Snowpack
HS: 40 to 140 cm
HN24: 20 to 40 cm
A supportable crust buried on 2/10 became less supportable as we climbed. On steeper N-trending slopes above 9000 feet, it was barely discernible.
We dug in at 9300 feet on a N aspect.
- ECTN8 down 20cm, ECTX
The structure in this area is poor.
Avalanche
- Size
- D1
- Aspect
- NE
- Trigger
- AS
- Elevation
- 8900 ft
Failed within new snow down 50cm on a wind-loaded, unsupported feature.