Date of Observation: 12/06/2022
Name: Eric Murrow
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Slate River Road to Pittsburg Rollers
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Observed a few natural avalanches. One slab in the storm snow on an east slope and a couple of slabs failed in weak snow at the ground on northeast slopes near and below treeline. A few small loose avalanches on a variety of aspects as the new snow was low-density and “sluffy”.
Weather: Around 14 inches of low-density snow at 1230pm at 10,4000 feet. Snowfall rates of 2″/hour during the morning. Light winds below treeline.
Snowpack: Recreational pow ski day. Snow depth is around 115cm on shaded aspects below treeline. The slab over the early season facets continues to gain strength (1 finger hardness and supportive to boots) and has made for fewer signs of instability underfoot; we often had to hop once while off the skin track to produce a loud, rumbling collapse.
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- Natural avalanche breaking in old snow below treeline near Pittsburg.
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- A natural avalanche off Schuylkill Ridge. Some debris ran over the bench and down the gully and just barely made it to valley bottom. This terrain feature produced several small natural avalanches around 11/29.
