Date of Observation: 02/23/2022
Name: Evan Ross
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Kebler Pass
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Remotely triggered 1 small slab avalanche on a west-facing slope at 11,400ft. Widespread natural avalanche activity that has been well summed up in other observations.
Date of Observation: 02/23/2022
Name: Eric Murrow
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Pavement obs from HWY 135
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Numerous natural avalanches near and below treeline on east and northeast slopes. Many D1’s and a couple of D2’s on longer slopes or drifted terrain features. Never got a view of alpine terrain or the northern end of Whetstone.
Weather: A brief clearing gave me views of the southern end of Whetstone near and below treeline.
Photos:
Date of Observation: 02/23/2022
Name: Billy Rankin
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Broke trail out Wash gulch to Coney’s, up standard skin track, across the top and we skied down the far left side of second bowl and low exit just above creek.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Half dozen or so small naturals from the trailhead on the classic Meridian Lake indicator slopes. All NE, BTL, 35 degrees. SS-N-R1-D1.5-I (2/22) Average 30cm deep, 50- 600’ wide, ran 100-300’. The classic corniced ridge top above long lake ran and looked to be full storm depth 600′ wide, ran several hundred feet.
One remotely triggered small avalanche on the first section of the skin track on small isolated steep gully feature (see photo). Remote triggered convex bowl from 50 feet away, 60cm‘s deep up to 80cm, 250’ feet wide ran maybe 200 feet downhill into the trees. (see photo)
We traverse across the top of coneys first and second bowl stomping on cornice but was unable to trigger anything else, though it may have run overnight or yesterday?
Weather: OVC, winds southerly moving a lot of snow, light snow in the am picked up in the pm and periods of S2 by 14:00.
Snowpack: Tons of collapsing all day produced shooting cracks up to 50 feet or more at times
Quick test pit dug just before ridge top HS: 180cm 60cm of storm snow sitting on 1mm facets. CTM 11 Sudden collapse on the facets. Storm snow showing right side up 4F at the bottom to F on top.
Photos:
Date of Observation: 02/23/2022
Name: Zach Guy
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Kebler Pass Road, town, and Pitchfork neighborhood
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Coding in a few more fresh slab avalanches that ran today on small slopes near town. D1 to D1.5
Date of Observation: 02/23/2022
Name: Zach Guy
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Mount Axtell ridgeline and west facing glades to 12,000 ft.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: A handful of naturals that ran last night and this morning on Axtell, some D2s in 2nd Bowl and what looks like a D3 where the Pencil ran wall to wall and propagated into the lower part of Wang Chung. We remotely triggered at least one D2.5 in 2nd Bowl, and came across another very fresh slide that we either remotely triggered from very far away or it ran naturally minutes before we got there. There were also a bunch of natural slides above Coal Creek and one above Kebler Pass road, D1 to D1.5 in size. Details in the avalanche tabs.
Weather: Moderate snowfall this morning changed to light snowfall and light winds midday. A pulse came through around 3 p.m. that brought an hour of heavy snowfall rates and notable blowing snow off of the trees.
Snowpack: Widespread collapsing. We even got regular localized collapses in tight trees, which was a noticeable difference from yesterday. It seems that the slopes that were heavily blasted by northerly winds prior to the storm are bonding better than everywhere else. I’m hypothesizing that based on crown line locations and the little bit of feedback I was able to get underfoot in the wind-crusted terrain.
Date of Observation: 02/23/2022
Name: Chris Martin
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Classic Red Lady Glades Skin track from parking lot to exposed ridge before summit. We descended Skiers left of Little Lady bowl avoiding avalanche terrain.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Ascending the red lady skintrack, at about 11,250’, we remotely triggered a D2.5 soft slab avalanche on a windloaded E-SE facing slope NTL and below a ridgetop. The crown was 50-100cm thick, and propagated an estimated 200 ft. The slab was 4F hardness near the bottom tapering to F hard near the surface. We also noticed a dust later near the bottom of the storm snow. The bed surface was small grained (1-1.5mm facets) on top of a soft, collapsible crust. There were also small grained facets below the crust too.
Weather: Scattered clouds throughout the morning with intermittent periods of sunlight. Around noon, cloud cover increased to overcast as SW wind speeds also increased. Precipitation intensity hovered around S-1 to S1 during our tour (ended at 1:30).
Snowpack: At lower elevations, there was 6-10” of low density new snow. As we ascended in elevation, we found 8-17” of slab on top of various dry weak layers. Ascending on south, the slab capped a stout MfCr. As the aspect became more southeast and east, crusts become weaker and softer, unable to support the load from this storm on lee slopes. On low angle south terrain, we got a handful of collapses in gladed areas that simply don’t receive enough direct sunlight to produce a stout crust.
Date of Observation: 02/23/2022
Name: Kevin Krill
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Observed from Mike’s mile nordic trail.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Widespread activity from the gronk all the way to gunsite bridge. R/D1 and D2 East of East of alien shack. R/D2 and D3 in the climax chutes. Debis covered nordic track 5 to 6′ deep for 200 yd. Is runout was just sigh of slate river
Weather: Brief clearing. Otherwise heavy snow.
Snowpack: A foot to 18″ fresh.
Date of Observation: 02/23/2022
Name: Rob Strickland
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: More skin track maintenance… Glady.
The trail is in good shape.
Made sure to give the East shot on ascent before ridge line a wide birth. I don’t think that has popped yet… also gave cornices a wide margin.
Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches: East shots filled in today. Lots of collapses in low angle S/SE; some cracking and rippling from skier weight on decent, but too low angle to move.
Weather: S2 about 1”/hr while touring.
Snowpack: Getting deeper!
Cornices are back after dropping them yesterday…
Ski pen +/- 8”; storm snow +/- 18” NTL
Date of Observation: 02/23/2022
Name: Jeff Writer
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Skinned up Walrod
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Slide path just above Caves loop trailhead went last night, buried road with ~15 feet of snow.
Date of Observation: 02/23/2022
Name: billy barr
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Gothic townsite
Observed avalanche activity: No
Weather: Obscured cloud cover with light wind, though gusting at times. Snow paused yesterday from mid morning to mid afternoon but picked up after dark with the heaviest coming in the last 2 hours. New snow of 8″ and water of 0.66″. Snowpack is up to 57″. Currently light to moderate snow with little wind but the gusts make it (and me for that matter) nasty. Current temperature a moderate 17F. No visible slide activity but then no visible anything.
