Northwest Avalanche Center

Observation: Public

All Observations

Observation Details

Name:
Charlie Hagedorn
Observation Date:
January 7, 2021
Submitted:
January 8, 2021
Zone or Region:
Snoqualmie Pass
Activity:
Driving
Location:
Granite and Alpental Beacon Park

Signs of Unstable Snow

None reported

Observations

Evidence of shallow loose-wet and point-releases visible on the south side of Granite around sunset . See photo.

Evening drizzle at Hyak changed our plans to night-time practice at the Alpental beacon park. We found boot-top ski penetration, knee/mid-thigh boot penetration in soft wet snow topped by an unsupportable breakable crust. Ski conditions within the park were poor, due to the crust. Travel was expedited by big skis.

At the park, HS 240±30 cm. Much of the upper two meters was 4F or softer. Consistency was wet, but without any free water. CTM at two interfaces in the upper 50 cm, no propagation in ECT.

Media

Granite Mountain from the Exit 47 off-ramp shoulder half an hour before sunset. Point releases, rollerballs, and shallow wet slides evident. Image licensed CC-BY-NC-SA.
Granite, cross-loading magnet. Image licensed CC-BY-NC-SA
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