Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 02/07/2018
Name: Evan Ross
Subject: Blue Bird and Mostly Wind Related Soft Slabs.
Aspect: East, South East, South, South West
Elevation: 9,600-11,800
Avalanches:
Looking around the range there was: A number off small loose dry avalanches on steep northeasterly and easterly terrain, mostly above 11,500ft. Noticed a few wet related loose snow avalanches on NTL elevation easterly to southeasterly aspects. Saw one natural soft slab avalanche on Red Lady Bowl not long after sunrise, small in size. Several small windslabs on southeasterly terrain below mineral point. One large soft slab avalanche below ridgeline on an easterly aspect near Angle Pass.
Skier triggered one wind slab at 10,600ft on an easterly aspect. Failure was within the new snow and not at the interface. 8″ to 12″ deep. About 300ft wide. WS-AS-R1-D1.5-S
Weather: Blue sky and sure nice to have some new snow. At 11,700 westerly winds were steady at moderate speeds. Drifting snow for sure, but surprisingly less then expected given the density of snow and a good majority of the snow already transported. Sun warmed some snow surfaces but cool temps and wind held the February sun’s strength back.
Snowpack: Personal tour not looking to deeply into things. Quiet snowpack on these aspects, no obvious sings to instability, mostly managing wind-loaded terrain. Didn’t get to aggressive on east, southerly were holding up well. Around a foot of new snow from the last storm in the area.
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