Observation: Public

Name:

Boon Huish

Observation Date:

April 4, 2023

Submitted:

April 5, 2023

Zone or Region:

Snoqualmie Pass

Activity:

Skiing/Snowboarding

Location:

North Slopes of Chair Peak

Did you observe any avalanches?

Yes

Avalanche Type:

Other

Size:

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

Elevation:

4000, 4250, 4500

Aspect:

NE

Comments:

Final apron of the north slopes of chair peak going down to Snow Lake. The crown was, at its deepest, 2.5 to 3 feet deep. it was maybe 50 ft wide and ran the whole length of the apron down to the lake.

None reported

There was a super deep channel in the middle of the slide path that looked like it had been formed by a massive ice chunk that fell from the cliffs above. We believe that this is what caused the avalanche because above this apron the snow was very stable and showed no signs of propagation. Also, we tested out the stability of the slope just to the skiers left of the slide path and it also showed no signs of instability so we skied it. When we got to the bottom and more closely examied the debris, we could see the massive ice chunk that I think likely caused the whole thing. It can be seen in the pictures taken from below.