Observation: Public
Observation Details
Name:
Nate Hough-Snee, Lexine LongObservation Date:
February 24, 2023Submitted:
February 24, 2023Zone or Region:
East CentralActivity:
Skiing/SnowboardingLocation:
Johnny CreekObserved Avalanches
Did you observe any avalanches?
YesAvalanche Type:
Dry Loose (Sluff)Size:
Size 2: Could bury, injure, or kill a personElevation:
6000'Aspect:
SComments:
As the day's temps moderated, solar rock bands began to shed their snow, triggering pretty large natural sluffs in very steep to extreme terrain. Mostly along steep solar cliff bands, although we noticed a few on north.Signs of Unstable Snow
Did you see shooting cracks?
Yes, IsolatedDid you experience collapsing or whumpfing?
NoObservations
Clear and calm at the trailhead late AM. Cold (single digits F) and light easterly winds gave way to slightly less cold (teens F) and moderate westerly(SW) winds on the solar ridgeline we travelled. We had a snack and quick dig at 6100' SW/S:
HS 145-160cm with wind affected HST somewhere in the 30-40cm range.
We got an elusive and rarely seen in the wild CT1 on a pencil hard wind slab 15cm down (sudden planar shear). This same layer cracked with every turn for about 600' of skiing on the same SW aspect. More alarming was that in the progression, we also got a CT13 80cm down with a sudden planar shear on large facets below a crust (MLK crust?).
ECTP15 15cm on the wind slab and ECTP20 45cm down on the crust before last weekend's storm.
Generally I was surprised by the shallow snowpack near ridgeline on southerly aspects, which is a testament to our relatively mild and high pressure-laden February. This HS also speaks to the strong winds we've had with most recent storms.
Mid-slope in the BTL and even up to the NTL on true south, the bases of trees are melted out and bare. There is a dust on crust ski quality below 3200'.
Based on where we dug, it seems like we have plenty of weak snow in the 'pack at present, although it isn't presenting under foot beyond the recent and shallow wind slabs.
With moderate winds and moderate transport visible across the valley in the Stuart Range today, committing ATL features may not be as straightforward as we'd hoped for weekend travel.
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