Observation: Public
Observation Details
Observation Date:
February 8, 2021Submitted:
February 8, 2021Zone or Region:
Stevens PassActivity:
Skiing/SnowboardingLocation:
Berne areaObserved Avalanches
Did you observe any avalanches?
YesAvalanche Type:
Hard SlabSize:
Size 3: Could bury and destroy a car, damage a truck, destroy a wood frame house, or break a few treesElevation:
ATLAspect:
NComments:
Observed large crown in Jim Hill Bowl that corresponds to previous observation of Jim Hill Bowl. Easily ripped out 1/2-2/3 of the bowl on a reasonably low-angle (~30-degree) slope. This, like the Lanham Lake/Jim Hill NW avalanches observed yesterday (HS-N-R4-D3) appears to be a classic persistent deep slab. It seems like steep slopes above the most recent rains to (4000') could be susceptible to natural or human-triggered deep, persistent slab avalanches. Thanks to the reporting party for having the courage to share their story. The backcountry community is glad they're all okay. Western Berne Camp chutes appeared to have run mid-storm as wet loose and refilled 7 Feb with cold snow.Signs of Unstable Snow
None reported
Observations
WX: light east winds, BTL transport during gusts, obscured sky with small patches of blue sky, light snow during periodic convergence 3000'-4500'. The recent rain crust is now covered with 6" of cold snow from the road, so as tempting as the alpine may be, there is plenty of less consequential, ripe, low-hanging fruit to be had. Poor visibility > 6000' precluded identifying any crowns high on Nason Ridge or the surrounding terrain.
This current set-up is reminiscent of the 2017-18 season in which persistent weak layers played a role in several close calls and accidents in the back half of the WA season. Maybe it's time to recycle Forest McBrian's blog post on the same topic?