Observation: Public
Observation Details
Name:
Tripp DenisonObservation Date:
January 8, 2022Submitted:
January 9, 2022Zone or Region:
Stevens PassActivity:
Skiing/SnowboardingLocation:
Cowboy Mountain, top of Tye Mill chair.Observed Avalanches
Did you observe any avalanches?
YesAvalanche Type:
Soft SlabSize:
Size 2: Could bury, injure, or kill a personElevation:
5200'Aspect:
NWComments:
Natural storm slab crown of ~12" on steep NW aspect. Winds had scoured up W aspect and loaded the "Backside" on E aspect - found small cornices and drifts that broke as wind slabs at ~6" on E aspect.Signs of Unstable Snow
None reported
Observations
Ski penetration=6", boot penetration=20" on wind-scoured W aspect. Tree branches had a frozen layer beneath snow. Dug a pit on W aspect, found layered density changes back and forth between 4f and 1f in top meter of snowpack, no evidence of crusts, no sugary layer present. Total snowpack depth of 3.3 meters. Irregular fractures in storm layers on shear test. Skied buttery wind-affected snow on W aspect, no fractures or collapsing, avoided wind-loaded E aspects.