NAME: KristaDATE: 2015.03.08ACTIVITY: Avy 1 ClassLOCATION: Coney’sASPECT: NE

WEATHER: Mostly clear, mostly warm, only a little breezeAVALANCHE/SNOWPACK OBS: Avy 1 class toured up a less than 30 degree north facing slope from 9500 – 11,000ft. 140cm (+/-) snow depth, with a distinct strong over weak snow pack was felt throughout the tour. No signs of instabilities were felt under foot today, however the class was amazed with the amount of avalanches that were visible (literally everywhere) from their ridge top tour. Skiing quality was supportive, penetrating only 20 cm into the snowpack, and no crusts were felt on the north aspects. A new sun crust was forming on the lower angle terrain however, where the sun was affecting the surface of the snow.

WEATHER: Few clouds, warm temps, no wind.

SNOWPACK: The Slate River valley looks like a war zone and is an absolutely amazing sight seeing tour for an avalanche geek. Just about every piece of avalanche terrain faceting east or north avalanched during the last cycle. All the way from the Happy Chutes to Pittsburgh. There where many paths that ran, that I’ve never seen run before in the last 5 years. There were small pocket slides, too wide crowns extending for a couple thousand feet, too paths running full track into the valley.

Traveled near treeline and nearly found no signs to instability. One fact that could skew these findings is that fact that we had a hard time finding slopes that didn’t avalanche at some point during the recent cycle. I dug two crown profiles along the way with vary different findings and snowapck structure due to their HS.

1st crown profile at an elevation of 10,900ft on a NE facing slope, HS 263cm. Crown was 90cm tall, failing on squashed 1mm FCxr and 1f- hard. CT and DT tests produced no results on this interface.

2nd Crown profile was at ridgeline, elevation 11,600ft, NE facing slope, HS 138. Crown was 85cm tall, failing on 2mm FC and 4f- hard. ECTP-SC 31 with the whole black popping into the pit on a 31 degree slope.

Take home point: The snowpack felt good and stable where the old snowpack was deep before last weeks large storm. The snowpack was concerning and down right scary where the old snowpack was shallow before last weeks storm.

UPLOADS:

Handcock Peak. Crowns visible on NE and E aspects

IMG_0284

Garfield Peak. Wide crowns through the whole ATL north facing basin and in NTL open paths below.

IMG_0283

Large Crowns on MT Owen’s NE face

IMG_0282

Schuylkill area is litterd with crowns on ENE facing slopes NTL/BTL

IMG_0272

NAME: JSJ, KRISTA

DATE: 2015.03.07

LOCATION: Wash Gulch

ELEV: 9,100-10,500′

ASPECT: N-NE

AVALANCHES: None on Coneys.
Schuylkill-observed N-SS throughout the entire ridge line. Most were D1 to D2 and covered all elevations (BTL/NTL/ATL). Appears that most convex slopes . Can see slides on moraines where lower skin track climbs and at the bottom of First Bowl to Thanksgiving Bowl.

Of note is that I didn’t see any slides in Redwell Basin or the gullies above the Gunsight Pass road between Redwell Basin and Wrong Chute.

WEATHER: Clear. No clouds. Calm. Warm

SNOWPACK: Tested a 30 degree slope on a convexity in the valley bottom. No cracking, whumping, or collapsing. Ski penetration was about 15 cm. No instabilities on skin track except heard one whump on ridge line above Cat’s Hat Glades Looked into these glades and didn’t see any failures.

Skied tree line between Cat’s Hat Glades and first bowl without any sloughing or movement. Lower 1/3 of slope was getting a tad heavier and a little sticky. Skis penetrated upper 18 cm of snowpack.

UPLOADS:

AVALANCHES: Large Triggered avalanche

WEATHER:

SNOWPACK:

UPLOADS:

• Elk_Avy1.pdf
• Elk_Avy2.pdf

AVALANCHES: Numerous medium sized collapses from 9,200ft to 9,500ft and then quiet the rest of the day above.
1 exception: 1 large collapse on steep slope of 35* avg. (40* max). North @ 10,200ft ~50% tree cover open glade. While traversing above on the flat, a collapse & crack knocked snow off the trees and
propagated at least 100ft but the slope did not slide.

ski pen 15-20cm & supportive. Wet snow tree bombs and flats were moist.

WEATHER: Clear, Cold, winds calm to light AM, Hot PM

SNOWPACK:

UPLOADS:

AVALANCHES: Recent avalanche activity observed from past 48(ish) hours in Peeler Basin NE, D2 and Evans Basin N D2.

WEATHER: Calm and clear all day. Light breeze around 3 PM on summit of Emmons.

SNOWPACK: Didn’t poke into the snowpack but did experience a couple collapses on the ridge on slopes under 30*

There was still some dry snow on low angle S through W on the highest elevations. Everything else was cooked including shaded aspects low in RLB. East facing slopes had thin, re-frozen crusts by 3 PM.

UPLOADS: