Northwest Avalanche Center

Observation: Public

All Observations

Observation Details

Observation Date:
December 27, 2020
Submitted:
December 27, 2020
Zone or Region:
West South
Activity:
Skiing/Snowboarding
Location:
Mt. St. Helens - East of Monitor Ridge

Signs of Unstable Snow

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

Observations

Went up Marble Mountain Route then over towards Monitor Ridge @ Chocolate Falls. Skied an outcropping just below Monitor Ridge, SW/S/SE aspect, from 5200' to 4600'. Fairly wind protected, not many features of note. May have noticed some whumphs with skin steps around 4600' or so, possibly a layer ~5" down? Mainly in the flatter areas, didn't see any crack propagation. Did not notice as I ascended. Once sun hit these faces rollers appeared pretty quickly at a few spots higher up and rolled down. Stuck to 25-30 degree slopes, nice snow for some turns.

Media

Rollerballs at the top
Other side of the same ridge
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