Date of Observation: 01/05/2023
Name: Nate Pearson
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Photo from front deck
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Providing additional photo angle of previously reported large avalanche in Red Lady Bowl.
Date of Observation: 01/04/2023
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Snowmobile to Pittsburg, decided against skiing after seeing the number of slides that had run.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Quite a few natural avalanches on E and W aspects of the valley.
Weather:
Snowpack:
Date of Observation: 01/03/2023
Name: Whitney Gilliam
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: We were traveling on the lookers left side of the typical Snodgrass skinner (below tree line, elevation ~10,400ft) and triggered the slope opposite us that was about 300m away. The avalanche went on a convex roll on an E/NE facing slope. It appeared to go to the ground (hence all the grass in the photo). Prior to seeing this beautiful avalanche from a distance, we had a large collapse and wumph where we were in the trees (SE facing slope BTL).
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: ~D2 size avalanche on a E/NE facing slope. Remote triggered.
Weather: Winds – Light, predominantly from the south
Light to moderate snowfall (AW YEAHHH keep it comin!)
Overcast
Snowpack: Pit dug on an E aspect BTL (~10,800ft elevation, in the aspens near California bowl on Snodgrass) slope angle was about 10degrees.
Results:
All failed on the same mid-December PWL
CTM Q1
ECTP 19
PSTend 35/100
Date of Observation: 01/03/2023
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Flat, up and then down on NE aspect below treeline on the border of the NW and SE forecast zones.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Pockets the Clown had a couple of tricks up his sleeve, actually in his pant leg, as he shook some treats out of his pockets on a steeper roll at the bottom when skied.
Weather: calm in the trees, windy transporting snow on the ridge to add a little nice nice for the shred.
Snowpack: Ummm… good for skiing 30-degree slopes and shallower. 14″ of goodness on top of denser snow.
Date of Observation: 01/03/2023
Name: Zach Guy
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Broken sled retrieval mission out Washington Gulch to Elkton
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Ski triggered a pair of small slabs in the new snow on a drifted rollover, about 12” thick. Vis was too poor to see much avalanche terrain.
Weather: Snowing heavily through most of the day. Elkton had about 14” of fluffy snow by midday. Coneys area had about 8” to 10”. Light to moderate winds near treeline with periods of significant blowing snow.
Snowpack: Stability test below treeline near the boundary of our two forecast zones produced hard, propagating results in depth hoar (F) under a 120 cm soft slab.
Date of Observation: 01/02/2023
Name: Evan Ross
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Kebler Pass area. All aspects. Up to 10,700ft.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Several very small storm slabs. 1 to 2″ thick. Some releasing naturally and some human triggered, only on the steepest slopes near or above 40 degrees.
Weather: Overcast, calm wind. heavy snowfall started around 11am and lasted for about 1 or 1.5 hours. The sun started poking through a few times around mid-day or early afternoon on the way home.
Snowpack: Plenty of test slopes around 35 degrees on all aspects and some much steeper. Most slopes were 100ft vertical or less. Some were a couple of hundred vertical feet. The PSa problem presented no obvious signs of instability as has been the case recently in similar terrain. No shooting cracks or collapses. Otherwise, any slab displacement downhill in these areas may often be held up in the compression of the slopes, given how thick the slab has become.
Got some ok views of the Dyke, steep stuff below Floresta, Axtel 1/2 bowl and 1st bowl, and the track of 2nd bowl. Of course the Kebler corridor too. Noting stood out through the little windows that presented.
Date of Observation: 01/01/2023
Name: Travis Tucker
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: A braap out to River’s End Campground from the Trading Post.
Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches: None observed.
Weather: Temp: H of 36*
Wind: Calm
Sky: Obscured (x)
Precip: S1 most of the day.
Snowpack: HS: 45 – 150cm
On a shallower North facing slope near road / Trading Post…
28 cm of 4F
7cm of 2-3mm FC
15cm of 3-5mm DH
CT15 SC down 28cm on 3-5mm DH
ECTP 18 “ “
Date of Observation: 01/01/2023
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Snowmobiling down the road.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Message from a friend up Bracken Creek that I thought I would pass along. Blue is where it slid, buried the road where the red mark is. Possibly triggered by snowmobiles but unconfirmed. That’s all the info I have.
Date of Observation: 01/01/2023
Name: Eric Murrow
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Pavement views.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: A brief view (too short a window to get photos or code individual avalanches) of numerous natural avalanches on the down valley end of Whestone. Northeast, east, and southeast aspects near and above treeline. The ground was showing in some of the bed surfaces and some appeared to propagate widely like in Lucky Boy Basin. Large natural avalanche observed above Long Lake at the Washington Gulch TH.
Weather: Consistent light snow after 1030am.
Snowpack:
Date of Observation: 01/01/2023
Name: Zach Guy
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Mt. CB
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Brief visibility this morning of large to very large avalanches on Axtell, Augusta, and Scarp Ridge. Unfortunately, by the time I got to a good vantage of the Ruby Range, the clouds were back.
