Northwest Avalanche Center

Observation: Public

All Observations

Observation Details

Name:
Patrick Mauro
Observation Date:
April 10, 2022
Submitted:
April 10, 2022
Zone or Region:
Stevens Pass
Activity:
Skiing/Snowboarding
Location:
McCue Ridge

Observed Avalanches

Did you observe any avalanches? 
Yes
Avalanche Type:
Wet Loose
Size:
Size 2: Could bury, injure, or kill a person
Elevation:
6000'
Aspect:
S
Comments:
Numerous wet loose avalanches visible on S slopes from last week's warmup. Nothing surprising here.

Signs of Unstable Snow

Did you see shooting cracks? 
No
Did you experience collapsing or whumpfing? 
Yes, Isolated

Observations

The best skiing off McCue Ridge was to the N towards Lake Julius. Amazing powder stashes (9-18" on top of a firmer crust). Beware of wind loading on the S side of the ridge. We had a great set of tours, but abandoned plans to climb above treeline towards the crest of the Chiwaukums since the the entire alpine zone was obscured by blown snow (Fri and Sat).

Advanced Observations

Observed Avalanche Problem #1: 
Wind Slab
Comments: 
Wind transport evident on all aspects of McCue Ridge (which runs E-W). The ridge top was alternately scoured and drifted. Given that it was so flat, this didn't present any problems. We poked around quite a bit trying to find powder stashes. Those explorations took us to both the N and S side of the ridge. A skier initiated a localized collapse (~50' square) of a wind slab on a SE aspect just below the ridge line.
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