Northwest Avalanche Center

Observation: Public

All Observations

Observation Details

Name:
Hough-Snee, Long, Hess
Observation Date:
February 27, 2022
Submitted:
February 28, 2022
Zone or Region:
Stevens Pass
Activity:
Skiing/Snowboarding
Location:
5500' N/NE/E

Triggered Avalanches

Did you trigger any avalanches? 
Yes
Was it intentional? 
Yes
Avalanche Type:
Soft Slab
Size:
Size 1: Relatively harmless to people
Elevation:
5500'
Aspect:
NE
Comments:
A ski cut entrained recently warmed storm snow over cold snow, running 300'. This did not initially run to the existing facets, but entrained much storm snow SS-AR-R1-D1

Signs of Unstable Snow

None reported

Observations

Inversion conditions warmed up ridgelines by lunchtime with snow falling from S2 to S5. Natural storm slabs were rapidly building and could be triggered by skiers, as evidenced by a ski cut that produced a SS-AR-R1-D1 and concurrent observations near Arrowhead and Skyline Ridge with similar and larger results.

Advanced Observations

Observed Avalanche Problem #1: 
Storm Slab
Comments: 
Storm slabs are likely to step down into persistent layers that precede peak snowfall on the 27-28 Feb.
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