Northwest Avalanche Center

Observation: Public

All Observations

Observation Details

Name:
Erik J Olson
Observation Date:
January 3, 2022
Submitted:
January 3, 2022
Zone or Region:
Snoqualmie Pass
Activity:
Skiing/Snowboarding
Location:
Hyak

Signs of Unstable Snow

None reported

Observations

Skiing in area (closed) today. Observed 40cm of new snow since yesterday afternoon. Ski pen is 15cm and boot pen is 35cm. Noticeable change in hardness for the lower 30cm (4F-) to the upper 10cm (F). Received about 1-2 cm of graupel during skin up after the measurements were taken. The storm also started with some wind and graupel on 01/02/22 - need to poke around that some more.

Observed some separation between storm layers on steep pitches - see picture

Very enjoyable skiing in gentle terrain, but certainly not the day for big/medium objectives.

Media

A quick look at the new snow. Hardness change 10cm down (30cm of 4F- at the bottom of new snow)
Separation between storm layers at 10cm

Advanced Observations

Observed Avalanche Problem #1: 
Storm Slab
Comments: 
Below treeline (~3500') on all aspects. Size depending on slope - slabs not very cohesive (F and 4F-) at this time. Possible to trigger at 10cm and then at 40cm (01/03/22)
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