Northwest Avalanche Center

Observation: Public

All Observations

Observation Details

Name:
Tim FitzGerald
Observation Date:
February 17, 2021
Submitted:
February 18, 2021
Zone or Region:
West South
Activity:
Skiing/Snowboarding
Location:
Crystal Mtn, Cache run environs

Signs of Unstable Snow

None reported

Observations

Dialed back location due to current situation. Explored and skied four runs on westerly aspect from about 6,800 ft down to about 5,800 ft. Dug two semi-hasty pits 3 ft deep in two different locations, both at 6800', I was able to extract an 18-in upper slab in both after some moderate tugging with both hands, decent bonding to lower snow. We were not able to get anything to move with ski cuts or even corners of skin track. The buried weak layer of 2.13.21 was approximately 4.5 ft to 5 ft down from the surface, and is still lurking with what felt like crystallized snow directly on top of it from a hand check. A decent amount of wind affected snow for the top couple hundred feet, with moderate wind compaction on all slopes.

Media

18 slab image
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