Observation: Public
Observation Details
Name:
A. MillerObservation Date:
January 1, 2023Submitted:
January 1, 2023Zone or Region:
West NorthActivity:
Skiing/SnowboardingLocation:
West side of Table Mountain, Mt. Baker WildernessObserved Avalanches
Did you observe any avalanches?
YesAvalanche Type:
Wet LooseSize:
Size 1: Relatively harmless to peopleElevation:
5,000Aspect:
WComments:
The photo shows an example of the primary avalanche problem of the day. The picture was taken late in the afternoon after the sun had warmed the slope significantly. While we saw several slides like this, they were easily avoided and did not put anyone at risk.Signs of Unstable Snow
Observations
We skied mostly north facing slopes between 4,200 ft and 5,600 ft. On our tour we saw loose wet slides on numerous solar aspects. We did not notice settlements or cracks. It was easy to detect the solar warming of the snow from the tree bombs, loose wet slides (many were D1, few were D2) and low-tone creaking of the snow underfoot. Overall, we found the recent storm snow to be stable. On the north faces it has been well preserved. Wind transport was happening in the afternoon and the surface became sculpted, however, we did not detect slab formation over the duration of our tour. In the bottoms of drainages and on north faces, temps were chilly. Jackets were worn on the uphill. Other than probing the snow with bare hands and with inverted ski poles, no snowpack tests were performed. No dramatic transitions between storm layers was detected.
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