Observation: Public

Observation Details

Observed Avalanches

Signs of Unstable Snow

Observations

I saw three avalanches, two on east aspects and one on a north slope. Two were in locations that have not avalanched in my experience. All three appeared to have been natural and to run on a wind stiffened layer (from the 12/8 wind event), not on the buried November 28 crust, but above that. The bed surfaces were clean white with a breakable crust. Some blown in snow and rounding of debris, crown and flanks suggest these did not occur today. I guess two days ago. The 12/8 wind crust is not visible in the pit picture below, but shovel shear and column compression both showed easy clean failure at this interface. I experienced one settling event in a 15m diameter topographical depression.