Observation: NWAC Forecaster

All Observations

Basic Information

Observation Date:

March 14, 2023

Submitted:

March 14, 2023

Observer:

NWAC Forecaster - Irene Henninger

Zone or Region:

West North

Location:

Baker NRA (2000-7500ft S, E, W)

Recent Avalanches?

Yes

Cracking?

None Experienced

Collapsing?

None Experienced

A D1.5 human triggered avalanche which likely occurred sometime early afternoon. Suspected failure on new/old interface. Suspected crown height of ~45cm. W, 5800'

A human triggered D1 avalanche in a wind affected gully feature at 6900', S facing- Baker NRA. The crown looked to be approx 1ft.

Small loose snow avalanches on an east facing slope at ~4800'

Large west-facing cornices overlooking the Deming Glacier.

A D1.5 cornice triggered avalanche which occurred mid storm, likely 3/13/23. E, 6500'

An abundance of slope testing on the Railroad Grade. East facing, ~4700ft. Note the wind features.

Advanced Information

Cloud Cover:

Mostly Sunny

Wind:

Calm

New/Recent Snowfall:

45cm

Storm produced snow 2/12 -2/13. A cloud deck of ~5000ft burned off around noon leading to few clouds.

Avalanche Observation Comments:

One human triggered wind slab avalanche, D1, occurred in a steep gully and our impression was that if an avalanche were to occur anywhere it would occur in a place like that. The other slab avalanche was more of a storm slab, possibly with a bit of wind influence. We were surprised we only saw one of those, as that slope was very similar to many others that had tracks on it.

We started our day in near treeline terrain until the clouds burned off. Snow was heavy, but excellent riding. We didn't see signs of instability, but with flat light and/or obscured skies and the recent storm, travel was conservative.

When skies cleared, riders rapidly stepped out onto steeper slopes, and we were surprised with how little avalanche activity we saw. See avalanche ob comments. Generally, most surfaces above approx 5500' were wind textured, and many surfaces were slightly firmer from about 6000ft and up.

Around 1-2ft of storm snow was present over the older layer in pits, although it was very difficult to identify the new/old interface. Failures were not consistent at that location, and hardness differences were barely discernable.

The upper-elevation south-facing terrain wasn't really affected by the sun once the skies cleared. Upon descent at 1600hrs, steep west-facing terrain from about 4000ft and down was moist.

Problem	Location	Distribution	Sensitivity	Size	Comments
Storm Slab	N E S W	Isolated Specific Widespread	Unreactive Stubborn Reactive Touchy	D1 D1.5 D2 D2.5 D3 D3.5 D4 D4.5 D5	Layer Depth/Date: 45cm (new/old interface)
Wind Slab	N E S W	Isolated Specific Widespread	Unreactive Stubborn Reactive Touchy	D1 D1.5 D2 D2.5 D3 D3.5 D4 D4.5 D5	Layer Depth/Date: ~30cm, within the new snow.

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