Observation: Public
Observation Details
Name:
Sam LuthyObservation Date:
December 31, 2020Submitted:
December 31, 2020Zone or Region:
OlympicsActivity:
Skiing/SnowboardingLocation:
Hurricane Ridge- MaggiesObserved Avalanches
Did you observe any avalanches?
YesAvalanche Type:
Soft SlabSize:
Size 2: Could bury, injure, or kill a personElevation:
5500Aspect:
NEComments:
Skier triggered slab in the "Gutter", skiers right of Bowling Alley. NE facing 40-50cm deep 80ft wide, 300ft+ longNo one was believed to be caught or carried in this slide.
Photo:
Signs of Unstable Snow
Observations
What was hoped to be another amazing ski day was dampened warm temps on the morning of 12/31. 12-14" of new snow for the storms the day before had turned to heavy powder with a crust in some places. With lots of recent snowfall , strong winds during the storm, some week underlying snow and warming the snow pack seamed ripe for avalanches. Lots of loose wet activity was observed from ski tracks and point releases hitting the road between laps. Snowpac tests showed poor bonding and failures at 35-40cm down in a very non descript layer that potentially contains surface hore buried on 12/29. A skier triggered D2 slide is believed to have propagated on this layer. More warm weather and rain on the way will hopefully squash this problem in the coming days, but until then keep terrain choice conservative.
Media
