Name: Z. Guy, E. Ross
Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 12/15/2014
Aspect: North, East, South
Elevation: 10,000-11,400
Weather: Mostly clear sky by noon. Calm winds and cold temps.
Snowpack: About 10-12″ of total storm snow in the Anthracites. This snow was very light and lacked a slab on most NTL and BTL slopes. A few slopes in these areas has seen previous wind effect with more cohesive slabs. The recent HST heated quickly and became moist on south aspects as the sun came out mid day, with many roller balls on NTL and BTL south facing slopes. Good bonding to the Dec 13th MFcr on southerly aspects. Other aspects stayed dry and cool through the day. We saw no signs of instability other than sluffing on steep slopes that have seen skier traffic before the recent storm on the 13th.
Avalanches: Several natural and human triggered loose snow avalanches on NTL and BTL slopes . One large natural slab in East Bowl from early on the morning of the 15th. Crown averaged roughly 45 cm thick, up to an estimated 90 cm. The slab was 1F- at the bottom up to Fist at the top. It failed on the Dec 13th NSF layer, (1-2mm facets, Fist hard). It was about 800 feet wide and ran 500 vertical. Start zone at 10,900 feet, east-facing aspect. SS-N-R3-D2-I Video here: http://youtu.be/3OdyyqCKfBM
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Crown averaged roughly 45 cm thick, up to an estimated 90 cm. The slab was 1F- at the bottom up to Fist at the top. It failed on the Dec 13th NSF layer, (1-2mm facets, Fist hard). It was about 800 feet wide and ran 500 vertical. Start zone at 10,900 feet, east-facing aspect. SS-N-R3-D2-I Video here: http://youtu.be/3OdyyqCKfBM
Sloughing on an eastern slope at 11,500ft
Northwest slope at 11,000ft that has seen major wind erosion this season and was likely the fetch for the large slab avalanche on East Bowl.