Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 11/27/2018
Name: Evan Ross

Subject: Snowpack structure is still scary, obvious sings to instability are fewer.
Aspect: North East, East, South East
Elevation: 10,600ft-11,000ft

Avalanches: Carnage from last weekend. Nothing drastically new.
Weather: Clear sky becoming mostly cloudy in the afternoon. Winds looked to be picking up at higher elevations with some gusts down low. As winds picked up I didn’t see any snow blowing around.
Snowpack: Afternoon ski and look about. Few obvious sings to instability despite some poor snowpack structure. If an avalanche offered you candy would you take it?

Took a ski off to measure boot pen on an ENE slope at about 10,300ft. Stepping into the snowpack produced a sonic boom that had me cowering like a cat. Classic, no obvious sings to instability, then boom… Cracks shot for hundreds of feet and linked hillsides via changes in aspects or through meadows. Oddly enough the cracks didn’t appear on some more ESE facing slopes, but the collapse had linked through them and appeared on other more ENE facing slopes further away. More snowpack structure info in pics. Boot pen to the ground.

Despite some talk of surface hoar, didn’t really observe any slope scale surface hoar. Even on more shaded and northerly terrain features. Small NSF on northeasterly slopes, with moist snow surfaces on SE facing slopes. On slopes under 35 degrees facing ESE or SE that moist snow looked like it would form a 2-3cm crust as it refreezes.

Photos:

On 11/25 a shallow avalanche out of extreme terrain released a large powder cloud dusting a large area with snow and shallow debris.

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 11/26/2018
Name: Eric Murrow

Subject: Avalanche Obs from Kebler Pass Area
Aspect:
Elevation: 9200′ – 12400′

Avalanches:

Scoping around the Kebler Pass area from the Red Lady skin track avalanches from Saturday and Sunday were extensive.
Starting with Axtel – numerous slides in Green Lake Bowl/Chutes, the Tongue (feature between Green Lake and 4th bowl), nearly all of 4th Bowl, nearly all of 3rd Bowl. Many ran early in the storm and were partially refilled.
Anthracites-multiple crowns in Playground, upper Playground underneath East Ohio Peak, refilled in most areas
Owen-multiple crowns on north and easterly aspects
Redwell Basin – multiple crowns, refilled in many places

Again avalanches were focused on N, NE, and E. After checking out Kebler Pass and Paradise Divide area, a huge portion of N and NE NTL and ATL terrain avalanched. I would be highly suspicious of any steep N, NE, or E terrain NTL and ATL that did not slide. Most photos were a bit boring because many crowns and paths refilled, but included are a small sample of activity.

Weather:
Snowpack:

Photos:

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 11/26/2018
Name: Steve Banks

Subject: Red Lady
Aspect: South East, South
Elevation: 9,400-12,300

Avalanches: Forecasters investigated the Red Lady Bowl Avalanche from 11/24/18. This avalanche was skier triggered by the 1st skier dropping into the bowl. The skier was not caught and not carried. The avalanche triggered just behind and to the right of the skier, with the sympathetic avalanche releasing to his left. The rest off the party descended the intact slope between the slides.

A new avalanche appeared in Red Lady Bowl far skiers right side. Apparently remotely triggered by a party on the ridge? R1-D1.5 releasing out of steep, rocky terrain.

Weather: Sunny! Cold temperatures with light winds becoming moderate from the NW in the afternoon.
Snowpack: Widespread surface hoar formation, though the sun was breaking it down unless shaded where it remained preserved. HS 40-60 cms with a strengthening “midpack”, though overall still a very weak snowpack. Weak basal facets capped by a crust even in lower angle southerly terrain.

Investigation of the Red Lady avalanche showed a crown reaching 1 meter deep. The snow pack was surprisingly strong (Pencil harness) in the middle. Basel facets were extremely weak and approaching depth hoar status at the ground. These were capped by two crusts with facets in-between. This weak layer of facets below the crusts seemed to be the culprit in Sunday’s avalanche as the double crust was intermittent and discontinuous.

Photos:

Looking up at the crown and the rocky bed surface

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 11/26/2018
Name: Will Nunez

Subject: Red Lady Glades
Aspect: South East, South
Elevation: 11,000

Avalanches:

D2 RLB
And small pocket in isolated steep train, Red Lady Glades.

Weather: Sunny, warm, light wind
Snowpack: -S-SE Aspect HS 30cm to 85cm
– whomping and collapsing off the skin track
– the snow pack structure went from SH 2-3mm, F, 4F, 1F, 2cm crust w/ 1-2cm DH above and 1-2cm Facets below to F to the ground.

Photos:

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 11/26/2018
Name: MR

Subject: Red Lady Glades Tour
Aspect:
Elevation: 9,300-12,300

Avalanches:

Besides the Red Lady Bowl one, widespread avalanches visible on Axtell – Green Lake Bowl, the shield, 4th bowl, 3rd bowl all widespread activity, see attached photo.

Weather: Cold, clear, winds out of the northwest?, witnessed snow being transported off ridges on Axtell, tho winds were moderate on the summit of Emmons.
Snowpack: Collapsing and whoomphing when poking around off the skin track on the ridge, successfully triggering one r1d1 on NE aspect. Large long crack in the cornice where you first attain the ridge, tried unsuccessfully to trigger it by throwing rocks on it. Southern snow in the glades felt supportive. Down low some zipper crusts had formed from yesterday’s sun.

Photos:

Red Lady Bowl avalanche from November 26, 2018

Avalanches on Axtel from November 24 storm

Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 11/26/2018
Name: Cam

Subject: Post Storm
Aspect: South
Elevation: 9-12 K

Avalanches:

Saw far off slides on Peeler Peak and Little Silver Basin (both E facing). They were large enough to notice in low light but hard to pick out any details.
Oh, and looks like the bowl slid…

Weather: -13 leaving the car. Felt much warmer as we climbed. Calm until reaching the summit ridge.
Snowpack: ~12 inches of new snow lower in the trees, as well as on the due south faces near and above treeline where the wind likely carried some. Near treeline that new snow was above a crust with facets beneath. Above treeline it appears to have fallen on dry ground or maybe a hard crust to the ground in places.
No instabilities while we were descending. I did notice some pockets of E facing rollovers and convexities slid pretty nice even well below treeline.

Photos:

Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 11/25/2018
Name: Evan Ross

Subject: WSC Bowl Baldy
Aspect: West, North West
Elevation: ATL

Avalanches:

Large natural avalanche, WSC Bowl on Mt Baldy. Crow looked to run between 12,300ft to 12,600ft in elevation and span from a Northwest to West aspect. SS-N-R3-D3-O

Photos: