Date of Observation: 01/02/2021
Name: Zach Guy
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Location: Poverty Gulch
Aspect: North, North East, East
Elevation: 9,600 – 12,200
Avalanches: One small natural wind slab that ran last night or this morning (E, NTL). No other fresh avalanches observed.
Weather: Moderate winds with light transport. Clouds increased through the day with a few snow flurries this afternoon.
Snowpack: Skinned, snowmobiled, stomped, and skied on dozens of previously untrammeled low angled slopes (mostly near/below treeline) without any obvious signs of instability today, in stark contrast to just about every tour in the past few weeks. It appears as if the snowpack in this deeper part of the zone is moving to a low likelihood, high consequence persistent slab problem. On a NE aspect near treeline, the slab is about 4 feet thick, mostly 1 finger hard. The 12/10 interface is 4F- to F+ 1.5 mm facets. Stability tests produced a mix of hard, propagating results (ECTP30) and propagation during isolation (ECTPV, which might have been user error).
Photos:
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- Persistent slab is difficult to trigger here but also dangerously thick and dense, upping the consequences if you do
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- This ~8″ wind slab likely ran last night or this morning. Instabilities like this were isolated where we traveled.
