Observation: Public

Name:

Kurt Parker

Observation Date:

March 1, 2023

Submitted:

March 3, 2023

Zone or Region:

West North

Activity:

Skiing/Snowboarding

Location:

Welcome Pass

Did you observe any avalanches?

Yes

Avalanche Type:

Hard Slab

Size:

Size 3: Could bury and destroy a car, damage a truck, destroy a wood frame house, or break a few trees

Elevation:

Lower

Aspect:

S

Comments:

While touring the pass on 3/1 I observed a large deposition zone that originated on Excelsior Ridge east of Welcome Pass. Runout zone was 200’ long, 50’ wide and 15’ deep. It appeared that the snowpack released all the way to the ground as blocks of frozen crust up to 6’ diameter comprised the avalanche material and ran down to 2,500’ where the trail crosses. There was no debris on Feb 17th, just a dry trail. This deposit is a firm reminder of what can happen in the backcountry.
Only minor point release sloughs from snow bombs falling out of trees in the forested zone. We turned around at 4,000’ as 18-24” of snow and steep terrain indicated that conditions would get worse if we continued up. Cheers!

None reported

See above description.