Observation: Public
Observation Details
Name:
Tony CannistraObservation Date:
January 3, 2021Submitted:
January 3, 2021Zone or Region:
Stevens PassActivity:
Skiing/SnowboardingLocation:
South Slopes LichtenbergObserved Avalanches
Did you observe any avalanches?
YesAvalanche Type:
Wet LooseSize:
Size 1: Relatively harmless to peopleElevation:
3800-4000 ftAspect:
Comments:
We observed chunky debris at around 3800-4000ft from an apparently recent (<24h) wet loose avalanche. Snowy conditions prevented a good look at the start zone of this slide, but it ran at least ~50-100ft downslope. The toe of the debris was ~20-30 ft wide.Photo:
Signs of Unstable Snow
Observations
We traveled up the Nason Creek drainage to ski the low-angle trees on the S/SW flank of Lichtenberg from the bench southeast of lake valhalla, with a maximum elevation of around 4900ft. We avoided slopes over 35 degrees and took caution to avoid overhead hazard from several steeper gullies and start zones on Lichtenberg.
Low-density snow fell heavily between the start of our tour (8:30 am) until about noon, accumulating 1-2 inches in our skin track between laps (~1.5h). The sun broke through at noon, but strong westerly winds followed at around 4900ft, visibly transporting the new snow (photo). Trail breaking was somewhat challenging due to the depth of new snow, which neared knee/thigh depth (~1-3ft) above 4200ft.
As noted above, we observed avalanche activity including an apparently recent wet loose slide and many point releases on steeper slopes in the new snow.
The skiing above 4000ft was of excellent quality as a result of the depth and low density of the new snow. The snow became noticeably heavier below 4000 ft.
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