Location: Cement Creek Area
Date of Observation: 01/24/2019
Name: Cosmo Langsfeld
Subject: Cement/Double Top Slides
Aspect: North East, West
Elevation: 9400-10600 ft
Avalanches:
Noticed these slides on my way back to the trailhead around 3pm. One small slide on E-NE facing slope on Doubletop. Not sure when this slid. Looked fairly fresh. Also two small slides low on Cement, West aspect,~9500ft. I think these slid sometime between 930am and 3pm on 1/24.
Weather: Snowing and low clouds early in the day. Clearing as the day went on. Wind blowing hard enough to transport snow in the valley bottom in the morning. Wind died down and it was calm by mid-morning. Very cold down low. Pleasant off the valley bottom.
Snowpack: Supportive. No obvious signs of instability on the way out. Dug down on low angled NE facing meadow BTL (~10600′). Snow depth 140cm. Top 30 unconsolidated. 110-95 Fist. Crusts at 95 and 85 cm above ground level with a distinct layer of sugar above the 85cm crust. Between the two crusts, 2 layers 1f-4f with softer snow between those two layers at 90cm above ground level. Below 85cm, snow was 4f to Fist, softening with depth until it turned to sugar somewhere around 35cm above ground level, grain size increasing with depth. Leaving the pit, when I got about 6 feet away, the snowpack settled audibly.
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