Observation: Public
Observation Details
Observation Date:
December 28, 2020Submitted:
December 28, 2020Zone or Region:
West SouthActivity:
Skiing/SnowboardingLocation:
Crystal BackcountryTriggered Avalanches
Did you trigger any avalanches?
YesWas it intentional?
NoAvalanche Type:
Soft SlabSize:
Size 1: Relatively harmless to peopleElevation:
6300'Aspect:
SEComments:
On SE shoulder of Chinook peak, broke a 12" thick slab over the 12/21 rain crust while touring. Was about the length of my ski and not particularly cohesive.Signs of Unstable Snow
None reported
Observations
We toured up through Silver Basin, into the Morse Creek Basin via a col East of Three-Way. Then up to Sourdough Gap and down to Sheep Lake, and then up the ESE shoulder of Chinook. Down Sheep Lake Couloir and back to Crystal by Crystal Lakes Basin.
We kept a close eye out for wind slabs but didn't find significant cohesion in the layer above the 12/21 crust at any aspect. Southerly aspects definitely have less snow over the 12/21 crust than Northerly aspects.
We saw signs of previous avalanche cycles, but the primary problem we ran into was weak cohesion with the 12/21 crust on at least two S/SE aspects, one the reported obs above at 6300' and the other below Sourdough Gap also at 6300'. Both were small but startling.