Northwest Avalanche Center

Observation: Public

All Observations

Observation Details

Name:
Galen Weld
Observation Date:
December 31, 2020
Submitted:
December 31, 2020
Zone or Region:
Snoqualmie Pass
Activity:
Skiing/Snowboarding
Location:
Below Kendall Knob

Signs of Unstable Snow

Did you see shooting cracks? 
Yes, Isolated
Did you experience collapsing or whumpfing? 
Yes, Isolated

Observations

Headed out to Kendall Knob this morning via the standard skin track through the clearcut. It was raining when we departed the car at 8:30am and continued raining up to our high point at ~3,900 ft. The snowpack was saturated with water in the top ~5cm and quite tiring to break trail through.

After entering the clearcut at approx. 3,500 feet, we noted isolated shooting cracks at kick turns and near treewells. We also experienced isolated whumpfing. We decided not to continue through the more open, steeper slopes above 3,900 feet. Several other parties also opted to bail at this location.

At 10:20 am (SW aspect @ 3,900ft) we conducted an ECT which fractured and propagated after four easy taps. Video of ECT: https://youtu.be/gAyLxc0GeL0

We skied wet, heavy snow back to the car.

https://youtu.be/gAyLxc0GeL0

Media

Shooting crack approx 2.5 meters long, ~3,700 ft elevation.
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