Observation: NWAC Forecaster

All Observations

Basic Information

Observation Details

Observation Date:
March 12, 2022
Submitted:
March 12, 2022
Observer:
NWAC Forecaster - Dallas Glass
Zone or Region:
West South
Location:
Paradise Area (All Aspects Near Treeline, S-W-NW below treeline)

Signs of Unstable Snow

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

Media/Attachments

Snowprofile near Paradise on Mt Rainier.
Facets just above the Early March Crust. NW, 5800', Paradise
Hand pits and hand shears can help you check for strong over weak snow in the upper snowpack,
Open creeks still block common travel routes.
Very large wet slab avalanches from the Feb 28th cycle on Alta Vista

Advanced Information

Weather Summary

Cloud Cover:
Clear
Temperature:
39°F
Wind:
Moderate , NW
New/Recent Snowfall:
No new snow.

Sunny skies and warm temperatures today. Winds were very gusty from the W and NW. Blowing snow was observed above 6000 ft with huge snow plumes coming off the upper mountain.

The weather changed abruptly at 3pm with increasing winds, clouds, and ultimately precipitation.

Avalanche Observations

 #  Date Location Size Type Bed Sfc Depth Trigger Photos Details
7 Feb 28, 2022
() 		Edith Creek, Golden Gate, Sluskin Falls: Paradise
S 6300ft 		D2.5
R2 		WS-Wet Slab N-Natural
Report
6 Mar 12, 2022
() 		Mazama Back Bowl
SE 6000ft 		D1
R1 		WL-Wet Loose O-Old Snow AS-Skier
c-Intentional
Human triggered loose wet avalanches on a steep sunny slopes. SE, 5900', LW-ASc-R1-D1-S
Report
Edith Creek, Golden Gate, Sluskin Falls: Paradise
Mazama Back Bowl

We saw one new natural loose wet avalanche on a steep SE slopes at 5900ft, and triggered ~6 other small loose wet slides in similar terrain.

You can still see numerous debris piles from the Feb 28th cycle on many slopes. Some crowns are still visible as well.

Snowpack Observations

Southerly: The upper 5-8cm of the snowpack became wet and unstable. Even still we found small 1mm facets above the Early March Crust on southerly slopes. While these grains failed easily in some tests, they were much more stubborn in others. This seemed to be tied to the depth of the overlying snow. The deeper the snow over the crust, the easier the failures and the weaker the facets.

Northerly: Generally found 25-35cm (10-14") of snow over the Early March Crust. A weak breakable crust formed on the surface Friday. This new crust (3/12) was 2-5cm (1-2") thick. 1-2mm well developed facets were seen above the Early March layer. These weak grains consistently failed in tests. Despite their deeper nature at Paradise (compared to Crystal and Snoqualmie), they still didn't seem to have enough of a slab to be an issue today.

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