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:

AVALANCHES: west face of Gothic, Redwell out of rocks skiers left of Gunsight (NE face) and gully far skiers right (N facing) above where people often transition to climb up the road, wolverine, several on Schuylkill in areas that have seen lots of traffic through winter.

WEATHER: sunny, warm, no wind

SNOWPACK: Ski pen 14 inches, anything jacked a little east getting warm, north facing some wind effect in open areas, natural cornice failure caused a small release 14 inches deep and about 30 feet wide and ran about 50 feet, two big chunkers slid downhill about 100 yards. Overall pack felt and looked good in the particular spot we were skiing.

UPLOADS:

AVALANCHES: Major slides observed on Whetstone today.

1) debris seen from 2 different small slides on E and N aspects in ‘lucky boy bowl’

2) Palm tree chute ran full track D2.5

3) whetstone main summit bowl wall to wall

4) big bowl just south of main (north) summit ran

5) M Face almost wall to wall

6) lots of smaller D2 slides on steep cross loaded and wind loaded terrain features and slopes all along massif

7) just about every path and slope above the highway dept barn off hwy 135 to the U employment chutes ran full track.

Seems like most everything was D2 – D3 in size and ran on the top of the basal facet layer, but that’s just from what it seems from the valley floor

Impressive cycle….one of the bigger widespread natural cycles I’ve seen on whetstone in quite some time.

WEATHER:

SNOWPACK:

UPLOADS:

NOTE:  KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE AVALANCHES WERE IN UN-OPENED (CLOSED) TERRAIN.

AVALANCHES: Avalanche control route starting at 11:26 A.M. covering High Life, Edge, and Staircase.

In the High Edge, a SS-AR-R3-D2-G avalanche was remotely triggered as patrollers were moving across the top of the Edge. Slide propagated up the ridge along the start zone some 300′ as one of the party stepped into unconsolidated snow. 3.5′ crown running on the ground. No avalanche control work had been conducted in this area since January 21.
After triggering this slide, the group moved into the Staircase, throwing five explosives in the area of our typical event start gate. This area had been boot packed twice early in the season, an apparent success of our boot packing program. As the group moved into the right side of the Staircase (Tom’s) they remote triggered another avalanche. SS-AR-R2-D2-O with a 2′ crown. This area was ski packed on Jan. 28, Suspected failure on buried surface hoar layer.
Moving further right in Staircase, the group triggered a SS-AS-R3-D2-G in Dead Bob’s. This was triggered with ski cut, resulting in a 3′ crown running on facets at the ground. This path had already slid to the ground on Jan 24 with a 6# air blast.

Photo is of the remote triggered avalanche in Edge,

WEATHER: Sky Cover: Scattered; 5 degrees F. at 9:00 A.M.; Peak gust SW at 56 mph overnight.

SNOWPACK: 65″ Snowpack Depth at bottom of High Lift. 6″ new with .08% density and .5″ water. Storm total 33.5″

UPLOADS:

Edge-Avy

AVALANCHES: Pic of Gothic’s north /northeast bowl that slid down to the river. Not sure when it went but for sure recently. In one pic you can see the outhouse that was covered by the same slide path last winter (13/14). This slide didn’t quite make it that far,

WEATHER:

SNOWPACK:

UPLOADS:

image

image1