Date of Observation: 12/10/2021
Name: jeff banks

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Snodgrass up track & some <30º shots in the glades

Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches:
Weather: 18F dropped to 15F during midday tour
Snowpack: Shady Aspects: Can’t move without shooting cracks, HS ~80-100cm,

Sunny Aspects: No Signs of Instability, HST ~60cm, From the surface it’s F resistance to 4F at the ground, 4 Distinct Layers (Dry/Moist/Dry/Moist) Un-reactive on small slopes 30-43º

Date of Observation: 12/09/2021
Name: Ben Pritchett

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Kebler Pass and Lake Irwin

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: About a half-dozen small indicator slopes released mid-day Thursday. These all released in facets below the storm snow with around a foot of storm snow.
Weather: 2pm at Lake Irwin: HS 30″, HST 12″, HSTw 1.5″; 2:30pm at Kebler Pass: HST15″, HSTw1.7″.
Snowpack: Whumpf and collapsing where old snow lies beneath the storm snow.
No signs of instability in the storm snow on slopes that were bare ground last week.

Date of Observation: 12/09/2021
Name: Mark Robbins

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: First toured from the bridge past pittsburgh up the sw facing rollers on the ne side of the road, up to 10,500 or so. Snowpack was 10-12 inches of storm snow to grass and rocks and stumps.
Then crossed the creek to go check in on more northerly aspects. Natural avalanche by the residential bridge crossing the creek, see photo1. Toured up to the first flat field and remote triggered a storm slab on the first ledge, from the flats about 30 yards away, see photo2. A little further on, shooting cracks fractured a slope, reaching 30 yards or so, see photo3 and photo4. We stomped around trying to get more activity, and then tucked tail back to the sleds.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches:
Weather: Windy and snowy. Maybe 3 inches of accumulation during the 3.5 hours we were out there.
Snowpack:

Date of Observation: 12/09/2021
Name: Travis Colbert

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: I know Roman & Vandenbusche think ski-mo is silly, but I imagine a few of you might be wondering what conditions are like on Snodgrass after this most recent snow. After a near-miss (thanks ZK!) on the wall-to-wall D 0.1 (could bury a tea-cup Schnauzer but thankfully not an 80 pound Blue Heeler) on this morning’s dog walk, I decided to head on up to the newly constructed and hotly contested parking area at the base of Snodgrass Mountain. Both lots were freshly plowed and empty, so I took the first of many parallel parking spots closest to the start of the ascent. I found 6-7″ of fresh snow on what previously had been dry ground. It seems that much of the road had been dry prior to this storm, so ski pen was nearly to the ground for most of the climb. I diverged from the road at one point, but would not recommend as coverage in the forest is very thin. After establishing a little north side observation loop at the top of the road and stomping out a nice pad for ripping skins (got to work on those quick transitions if you want to be any good at ski-mo), I scooched back down the up-track for another lap. I didn’t make a single turn for fear of clipping a rock (especially on the lower third). Hopefully after tonight’s storm, coverage (on the road at least) will not be an issue. Have fun out there and be safe!

Observed avalanche activity: No

Date of Observation: 12/09/2021
Name: Joey Carpenter

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Toured up the ‘normal’ Coneys skinner until the downed trees became unbearable then traversed out onto what was (a few days ago) the bare side of Convex Corner.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Was able to get one small pocket to pull out via ski cut on the far right edge of photo. <TL-NE-SS-ASi-R1D1. About 50 feet wide and ran around 20 feet.
Weather: Relatively warm, light to no precip from 6:30a-8a while I was out. Light winds from the W at ridge top, calm below. Overcast.
Snowpack: ~8 inches of new snow from yesterday/last night. On the sunny side sitting on the ground and in shaded areas sits on a rotten base that varies in depth up to an additional 7-8 inches (estimated). Several small whumpfs and associated cracking while traveling through undisturbed areas where base snow was present. Storm snow hadn’t gained enough slab structure yet to release with much energy, which will quickly change as this second pulse of snow comes this afternoon.

Date of Observation: 12/09/2021
Name: Evan Ross

Zone: Southeast Mountains

Weather: Snow started mid afternoon and was generally light, picking up after dark for abut 3 hours and then light through the night. Temperature rose into the night and that and some wind made for a dense snow. The 24 hour total was 7″ new and water 0.61″ and the snowpack sits at winter’s deepest o 11″. Wind was moderate and moved snow, becoming calm around 4 a.m. Currently obscured with light snow and 25F after an overnight low of 24 while high was 28. And away we go.

Date of Observation: 12/06/2021
Name: Travis Colbert

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Drove up Washington Gulch to the 403 TH to observe the snow coverage prior to this week’s storms.

Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches:
Weather: Light flurries as incoming storm system was just arriving.
Snowpack: Shallow and patchy. Coney’s had continuous (and weak) coverage; south and west side of Gothic was bone dry (except for NW aspects); SE & SW slopes around Elkton were dry.

Date of Observation: 12/05/2021
Name: Kyle Juszczyk

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Purple Ridge

Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches: None
Snowpack: We skied W aspects that leaned N from 11k to 11.5k and were able to find soft snow. There was a widespread sun crust on W-SW aspects up to 11.5k

Dug down at 11,500′ on a WNW aspect 40′ down from ridge line. HS: 105. Increasing hand hardness all the way down. No substantial weak layers, even at the ground. Surface: 2mm surface hoar.

Date of Observation: 12/03/2021
Name: Ben Pritchett

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Mt. Baldy, Paradise Bowl.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: It looks like a skier triggered, and possibly took a ride in a small avalanche on the northwest-facing portion of Paradise Bowl. From the other side of the valley, it appears that someone post-holed out of the debris pile. There’s a stand-alone skin track going to the debris pile as well, indicating someone might have made a quick trip to the debris as well.