Observation: Public

Observation Details

Triggered Avalanches

Observed Avalanches

Signs of Unstable Snow

Observations

Today my partner and I traveled into the Whitepine drainage. We found a mixed bag of conditions dependent on aspect and elevation, but once above 4800 ft, we observed mostly dry snow except for southern aspects. Traveling below 4000 ft the snow was mainly wet and unsupportable, which made for tough travel conditions. Once at ridge-top we were able to get eyes on south aspects and more shaded aspects. South aspects were looking rough, with lots of rollerballs and pinwheels present, and one D2-sized wet loose that looked like it may have released yesterday during the heat of the day. On the north side of the ridge, the snow remained dry.

We were planning on skiing the Swath, so I dropped in with a high ski cut to check the sensitivity of the wind slab and I observed a crack shoot out in front of me followed by a small, isolated slab release at my feet. At this point, I was able to ride back onto the ridge. This was good wake up call and showed us that these specific areas at upper elevations, still hold areas of wind slabs that are reactive to a skier trigger. At this point, we bailed on our initial plan but still managed to find cold, powder skiing in more sheltered areas on northern aspects