Date of Observation: 12/20/2021
Name: Evan Ross & Bud Tymczyszyn
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Coney’s and the NE side of Snodgrass, below treeline.
Observed avalanche activity: No
Weather: Clear and calm.
Snowpack: 12/19 Coneys area:
12/19 Coneys area:
On the up valley tilted NE slopes the snowpack lacked much structure and was basically becoming all weak. We didn’t observed avalanche problem in those areas. On the down valley tilted easterly slopes, we found many thick slabs from the wind event last week that created previous cross-loading. However, those slopes didn’t have a weak layer below them. We didn’t encounter somewhere where a slab and a weak layer mixed, where ever that pocket is located would be the most concerning area.
12/20 Snodgrass NE
80% of the terrain we traveled through had either previously avalanched and had a very shallow weak snowpack, or the slope hadn’t avalanched and was still weak without any concerning structure. The other 20% of the terrain traveled had decaying slabs that still had enough structure to collapse and shoot cracks. There were a couple pockets that we chose to avoid. Otherwise, a triggered avalanche didn’t appear like it would propagate very wide given the discontinuous slabs and variability in the snowpack structure. Unfortunately, once it snows again the weak layer will be very continuous through the terrain.
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- ENE, 37 degree slope, 10,300ft. No slab and weak.
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- Look mom, a crack! A few pockets still had enough structure to collapse and crack.
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- Surface Hoar and a whole lot of facets for Santa’s storm to land on.
