Date of Observation: 02/23/2022
Name: Billy Rankin
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Broke trail out Wash gulch to Coney’s, up standard skin track, across the top and we skied down the far left side of second bowl and low exit just above creek.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Half dozen or so small naturals from the trailhead on the classic Meridian Lake indicator slopes. All NE, BTL, 35 degrees. SS-N-R1-D1.5-I (2/22) Average 30cm deep, 50- 600’ wide, ran 100-300’. The classic corniced ridge top above long lake ran and looked to be full storm depth 600′ wide, ran several hundred feet.
One remotely triggered small avalanche on the first section of the skin track on small isolated steep gully feature (see photo). Remote triggered convex bowl from 50 feet away, 60cm‘s deep up to 80cm, 250’ feet wide ran maybe 200 feet downhill into the trees. (see photo)
We traverse across the top of coneys first and second bowl stomping on cornice but was unable to trigger anything else, though it may have run overnight or yesterday?
Weather: OVC, winds southerly moving a lot of snow, light snow in the am picked up in the pm and periods of S2 by 14:00.
Snowpack: Tons of collapsing all day produced shooting cracks up to 50 feet or more at times
Quick test pit dug just before ridge top HS: 180cm 60cm of storm snow sitting on 1mm facets. CTM 11 Sudden collapse on the facets. Storm snow showing right side up 4F at the bottom to F on top.
Photos:
