Observation: Public
Observation Details
Name:
Kyle McCrohanObservation Date:
December 15, 2020Submitted:
December 15, 2020Zone or Region:
Snoqualmie PassActivity:
Skiing/SnowboardingLocation:
Snoqualmie Mt.Triggered Avalanches
Did you trigger any avalanches?
YesWas it intentional?
YesAvalanche Type:
Hard SlabSize:
Size 2: Could bury, injure, or kill a personElevation:
6000 ftAspect:
NComments:
We started down the Slot couloir. The first 50 ft were hard windscoured. Then the texture changed and looked a little wind slabby. We cut the slope and released a hard wind slab about 1 ft deep. It ran down the couloir out of sight. There was still evidence of yet another wind slab layer beneath, as we were not down to the 12/9 ice layer. The upper slab appeared to run on a lighter density snow that fell shortly after the 12/9 ice layer. We decided to boot back up and exit the couloir. Later, we decided to check out the Thunder Creek Exit from above. It looked similarly windloaded, although less of a hard slab. We cut a cornice and dropped it onto the slope. It began as a loose dry avalanche in the 45 degree slow but quickly stepped down, triggering a wind slope that propagated across the upper slope and even the lower angled slope below. The entire slope fractured and slid. The crown here was about 8 inches deep.Photo:
Signs of Unstable Snow
Did you see shooting cracks?
Yes, WidespreadDid you experience collapsing or whumpfing?
NoObservations
Open south faces above 5k had a surprising sun crust, despite the fact the sun never came out the day before, but the solar energy must have been enough. No stability issues noted on southern aspects, even in steeper terrain. The start of the Phantom approach is extremely icy still and was challenging without boot crampons.
Media
