Date of Observation: 12/20/2022
Name: Evan Ross Dan Hohl
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Schuylkill Ridge. 9,000-11,500. NE.
Observed avalanche activity: No
Weather: Clear sky becoming overcast. Calm wind. A couple of snowflakes fall in the afternoon. Sure hope they figure out how to multiply…
Snowpack: In this specific terrain that we traveled the persistent slab problem was somewhere in the Stubborn and specific, or stubborn and isolated, category. Common terrain with the same specific features didn’t all hold the problem, so maybe more stubborn and isolated.
The majority of avalanche terrain had previously avalanched earlier in December, refilled with some amount of snow, but was lacking much of any slab. Or in other areas that didn’t previously avalanche, the old slab is being eaten by the faceting process as we often see this time of year under these weather conditions.
PSa structure is becoming isolated in the terrain we traveled while the facet sluff problem is growing. The snow surface consisted of small SH and a thickening layer of NSF.
The skiing conditions were great and tracks had begun stepping out into more aggressive terrain features.
Photos:-
- Just another example of cross-loading, most obvious below the cliffs.
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- 50 to 60cm HS in the start zone of Thanksgiving Bowl, all in some stage of the faceting process.
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- Every year they try. Maybe this will be the year that they make it. Stay strong my friend.
