Date of Observation: 12/18/2016
Name: Evan Ross
Aspect: East, South West, West
Elevation: BTL 10,200-9,500
Avalanches: Plenty of natural avalanches to be viewed on Sunday, all that released during the recent large loading event. All had started filling back in or were viewed from to far to correctly code. Of note, vary large slab on the SE bowl of Bellview, numerous slabs on the east face of Gothic, large and far running slab in the Spork or SE bowl of Gothic, Slab on the SE bowl of the White Massive, several slabs below treeline on northeastern aspects of Snodgrass.
Weather: Saturday: Mostly cloudy and freezing cold. Sunday: Mostly clear and freaking cold. Few strong gusts in the valleys on Saturday and calm winds on Sunday.
Snowpack: Saturday:
Toured on small slopes near the valley bottom. Snowpack structure didn’t chance much from east facing to west facing, 2mm acted grains on average near the ground 10-20cm thick. Some intresteing thin strips of faceted polycrals? in there to mix things up. Maybe from an early season rain event or previous moist facets. Never the less some good collapses and shooting cracks on this layer while traveling on slopes less then 31 degrees.
Sunday:
Low elevation snodgrass tour, on slopes less then 33 degrees. Similar structure as the previous day. No obvious signs to instability. Conditions felt more stubborn.