Date of Observation: 03/17/2021
Name: Zach Guy
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Location: Upper Slate
Aspect: East, South
Elevation: BTL
Avalanches: A handful of small loose avalanches entraining the top few inches of moist snow ran this morning on southerly and easterly aspects before clouds filled in.
Ski triggered a thin wind slab on a south-facing test slope where northerly winds were drifting snow.
Weather: Clear this morning, clouds increased by midday with a few light snow showers. Light to moderate downvalley (northerly) winds at low elevations.
Snowpack: Quick tour BTL sampling storm snow totals to check on how large wet loose activity will be the next few days. In Poverty Gulch, there’s about 6″ to 12″ of settled storm snow, depending on wind effect. At Pittsburg and further down valley, only 2″ or less. The snow surface was moist from solar and greenhouse warming.
Quick pit on an east/northeast aspect BTL in Poverty Gulch produced unreactive pit results on the March weak layers, about a foot deep. The facets here have a bit of vertical separation from the crust, making for a less-distinct interface than what we’ve observed at other locations.
Photos:
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- Testing the new generation of persistent slabs BTL. Not too worrisome at this location.
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- Small sluffs triggered by warming this morning.
