Quick report
- Cracking
- specific
- Collapsing
- specific
Toured up Rock Creek towards the Patricia Bowl area. Snow below 10,000 ft was heavily rain affected with a variety of crusts on the surface. In near treeline terrain around 10,000 ft and on Easterly/Southeasterly aspects, we began noticing cracking, collapsing, and audible 'whumpfing." Throughout this area, large grain facets were noted beneath the top layer of newer snow. We dug a pit on an E aspect and performed a compression test, notably producing a CT11, Q1 26 cm below the surface on a thin rain crust. We contoured to a NE aspect above treeline, where the collapsing and cracking underfoot stopped. The snowpack here lacked the large grain facets, but we still got a Q1 compression test result on a crust near the surface. Despite the CT result, we noted fewer signs of instability. We even found some good skiing, next to an old D1.5 natural loose avalanche that came out of the steep terrain near the cliffs above.
Avalanche
- Size
- D1.5
- Aspect
- NE
- Trigger
- N
- Elevation
- 10990 ft
Old avalanche noted on a NE aspect in Patricia Bowl. Path began just below the headwall on the N face of Pointless peak.