Zone: Southeast Mountains
Location: Gunsight Road
Date of Observation: 12/12/2020
Name: Ian Havlick
Subject: Touchy Conditions Mount Emmons
Aspect: North, North East, East, South East
Elevation: 9000-11,200
Avalanches:
Numerous remotely triggered D1 avalanches failing off road cuts within old snow on steep rollovers and raod cuts. Junky facets 30cm deep, new snow 30cm deep in terrain travelled. Slabs were fist+ hard above fist- 2-3mm facets. Fracture line profile on one remote trigger, 10,800ft, NE facing revealed ECTPV (1 tap) and CT3 failing 35cm deep within upper 3cm of old facet surface.
Weather: S-1 to S2 most of the day, some partial midday clearing but no vis into the alpine. calm conditions. Temps 5-17ºF
Snowpack: Simple structure, new snow on top of really weak old snow. same same as other parts of zone. appeared the yesterdays snowfall was slightly denser than todays and slightly denser than the old snow it fell on, creating just barely enough cohesion and hardness difference to allow propagation. Seemed the slab had increased reactivity in the afternoon with increased temperatures and a little more time to consolidate than earlier in the morning. Didnt seem like as much an increase of load (though some was occuring) as evolution of the slab character.
Photos:
