Date of Observation: 03/10/2022
Name: Eric Murrow
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Washington Gulch
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Visibility was poor so I did not observe a crown, but I spotted one fresh debris pile in a southwest gully on Gothic Mtn, D1.5.
Weather: From noon to 4 pm, skies were mostly cloudy with light snowfall. Winds were light with moderate gusts up to 11,400 feet.
Snowpack: I was snowmobiling for fun, but dug a quick profile on a northeast-facing slope at 11,450 feet – see photo. I found two interfaces, around 1 and 2 feet down, that produced easy, small-column test results but only produced tiny cracks on small test features while snowmobiling. The mid-February facet “drought layer” was down about 115cm below a stiff, cohesive slab. The weak layer from mid-February has improved a small amount in this area, but the stark difference in grain size and hardness with the overlying slab remains obvious in the profile wall.
