Observation: Public
Observation Details
Name:
Drew LovellObservation Date:
January 7, 2021Submitted:
January 7, 2021Zone or Region:
East CentralActivity:
Skiing/SnowboardingLocation:
Railroad Creek ValleyObserved Avalanches
Did you observe any avalanches?
YesAvalanche Type:
Dry Loose (Sluff)Size:
Size 1: Relatively harmless to peopleElevation:
Above TreelineAspect:
EComments:
Numerous Dry Loose avalanches observed, emanating from very steep alpine terrain, in this case triggered by a nice blast of morning sunshine. A previous cycle during the early afternoon of Jan.6 occurred on the heels of heavy snowfall, followed by warming. Some of these Dry Loose avalanches triggered Storm Slabs en route to the valley floor.The afternoon of Jan.4 saw a similar cycle, albeit of greater magnitude, with a more acute spike in instability. We believe that some deeper Windslabs released at this time, based on subsequent burial of debris beneath the next round of 30cm storm snow.
Signs of Unstable Snow
Observations
Feeling intimidated by significant recent accumulations of storm snow and wind transport Above Treeline, our team chipped cautiously into the alpine today. We chose terrain features well-protected from the ongoing Dry Loose cycle, emanating from very steep, rocky alpine starting zones. Additionally, debris from the previous, larger avalanche cycle on Jan. 4 offered more-reasonable travel, with ski pen only 30-40cm down to supportable surfaces.
A profile at 5600' on a NE aspect, with an HS of 280cm revealed no layers of concern in the upper snowpack. In our field location, the Early December Crust was at a well-padded depth of 205cm and showed a favorable bond with overlying snow.
While Dry Loose instabilities are sometimes considered to be an avalanche problem when we cannot find any others to identify (i.e. great skiing), in the present circumstance, the mountains continue to shed the significant recent storms, entraining enough snow to bury a skier in certain terrain.