Observation: Public

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Observations

Terrain: I mainly rode near the radio towers and Baker Lake portions of Keechelus Ridge this morning.

Avalanches: no new avalanches observed. I did notice one large old avalanche from the mid-January cycle on a steep slope just east of Baker Lake (NW 4750').

Snowpack: 2-4" of very light new snow over a thin breakable crust (2/1). This crust had small facets underneath that failed in snowpack tests, but there isn't enough of a slab currently above them.

The 1/23 facts just above the 1/13 crust were found 8-12" below the surface depending on aspect. They show signs of rounding but remain weak. They failed in most snowpack tests. Some results suggested propagation of a failure could occur.

Minor wind drifting and very small wind slabs on exposed ridgelines. Minimal new snow limited the slab development in this part of the zone.

Weather: Mostly sunny in the morning quickly became scattered to broken skies before noon. Temperatures were cold! Ridge top winds increased to moderate and shifted from NW to SW.