Observation: Avalanche Professional

All Observations

Basic Information

Observation Details

Observation Date:
February 6, 2022
Submitted:
February 6, 2022
Observer:
Avalanche Professional - NPS Rainier Rangers AB, CM
Zone or Region:
West South
Location:
Paradise Area, Panorama Point, Edith Creek Basin (5400'-7500', NW-S, primarily solar aspects)

Signs of Unstable Snow

Recent Avalanches? 
Yes
Cracking? 
None Experienced
Collapsing? 
None Experienced

Media/Attachments

Cornice Fall off Upper Cornice, Panorama Point. Unknown trigger, likely hiker-skier triggered
Roller balls off of First hill into Edith Creek basin
Looking up towards Mclure Rocks west side, variable ice-wind board surface.
1-30 FCsf crust sandwich layer found at bottom climbers right of Panorama face about 30 cm below the surface/new snow.

Advanced Information

Weather Summary

Cloud Cover:
Mostly Sunny
Temperature:
30-40°F
Wind:
Light , W

No to very light wind below 7500', intense solar heating and warm ambient temperatures (above freezing). Feels like a nice spring day with associated diurnal snowpack heating-cooling

Avalanche Observations

 #  Date Location Size Type Bed Sfc Depth Trigger Photos Details
1 Feb 6, 2022 12:00 pm
() 		Upper Cornice, Pan Pt.
E 6900ft 		D2
R2 		C-Cornice O-Old Snow 2ft AU-Unknown Artificial
u-Unintentional
Cornice Fall off Upper Cornice, Panorama Point. Unknown trigger, likely hiker-skier triggered
Report
Upper Cornice, Pan Pt.

Cornice fall observed on the east side of Panorama Point, Upper Cornice. Unknown trigger, but likely human triggered as some snowshoe prints led up to the far left edge of the fracture line. No tracks into/out of debris pile. The cornice fell within the hour we skinned up past Pan Point and came back down, ~noon.

Snowpack Observations

Below treeline the prior day's 6-12" new snow has fallen with more even coverage and limited wind affect around Paradise-Pan point-Golden Gate zone, sitting on top of the firm-impenetrable bed surface from January's long dry spell. A quick hand pit at the climber's bottom right of Pan Face below the cliffs, found the presence of the 1-30 FCsf crust facet sandwich with ~30 cm of soft snow above. Hand shear had the top 15 cm within the new snow slide planar but somewhat resistive, while the rest of the column sheared with effort and unevenly on the 1-30 layer top crust.

Above treeline, the snow coverage remains variable with the wind being the major player, scouring and polishing the January ice, and filling other locations nicely, though sporadically.

Skiing back down off of Golden Gate around 13:00 felt like spring skiing just a little after prime corn time, with small WL pulling out under your skis and running a short distance in the recent storm snow. Ski pen was becoming a concern and I wouldn't have wanted to be on those steep sunny slopes an hour later than we had been. Roller balls were running off most steep faces with cliffs and trees.

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