Observation: Public
Observation Details
Name:
BRIAN BOOTHObservation Date:
May 23, 2021Submitted:
May 25, 2021Zone or Region:
Stevens PassActivity:
Walking/HikingLocation:
Smithbrook RoadObserved Avalanches
Did you observe any avalanches?
YesAvalanche Type:
Wet SlabSize:
Size 3: Could bury and destroy a car, damage a truck, destroy a wood frame house, or break a few treesElevation:
4000Aspect:
SComments:
Location: 47.802000N, 121.06823W (Smithbrook Road, at the point where the bowl surrounding the Smithbrook trailhead has a straight south aspect).Depth appeared to have been the entire snowpack sliding on bare ground (climax avalanche), so guessing that depth was 5-6 feet.
Width of main avalanche was ~100 feet. There were 3 additional smaller avalanches that were parallel.
Photo:
Signs of Unstable Snow
Observations
Observed the avalanche debris, but not the avalanche itself.
Do not know the date of the avalanche, but the debris was present when we visited on 5/23, and was not when we visited on 4/4, so was sometime between those dates. Best guess would be the warming period around 4/15.
From scanning the avalanche debris, it appeared that it was a climax / glide avalanche initiating from the cliffs at ~4,200'. The area immediately below the cliffs was bare, while the surrounding area still had 2-3' snowpack depth, so guessing that the entire snowpack slid to bare ground. Trees up to 2' diameter had been snapped off, and were deposited on top of the road, where the avalanche lost energy & stopped, although it certainly could have killed someone if they had been passing on the road at the time.
Media
