Date of Observation: 04/12/2023
Name: Evan Ross
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Upper Slate, Purple Ridge.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: More of the same. Mostly loose wet avalanches with some gouging deeply into the snowpack.
Weather: A little bit of everything. Cloud cover was alternating between partly cloudy and mostly cloudy. Some convective pulses pushed through and even a little rain.
Snowpack: The snowpack stayed supportive to boots through mid-day, then things felt like they were starting to deteriorate more quickly on my way home. Skiing was lovely, often grabby, and slow, and I even got chased by a pack of brown roller balls to keep it interesting. Was out to gather some equipment and didn’t tango with much avalanche terrain.
Dug into a 30-degree NE-facing slope at 10,800ft. The wetting front had made it about 40cm’s deep. It was just hitting an interface at this location. CTN in the upper snowpack. Loose wet avalanches looked like the primary hazard in this location.
Photos:
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Gouging wet avalanches on the west side of Coneys.
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NE, 10.800ft. The wetting front had made it down 40cm.
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The Slate River was making a strong push.
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Wet Loose. South, BTL.
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Wet Loose. South, BTL.
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A few large wet avalanches into the upper Slate.
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Zebra Bowl
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Sandy smears with brown balls nipping at your heels.
Estimated avalanche date: 04/11/2023
Number of Avalanches: 3
Location
Location: Washington Gulch (Elkton, Coneys, Meridian Lake)
Location Specific:
Start Zone Elevation: BTL: Below Tree Line
Aspect: W
Characteristics
Trigger: Natural
Trigger modifier:
Type: Wet Loose
Failure Plane:
Size
Relative Size: R1 very small
Destructive Size: D1.5
Avg. crown height (inches):
Avg. width (feet):
Avg. vertical run (feet):
Involvements
# of people caught:
# of partial burials:
# of full burials:
Additional comments: Backside of Coneys
Estimated avalanche date: 04/11/2023
Number of Avalanches: 3
Location
Location: Upper Slate (Purple, Yule Pass, Paradise Divide)
Location Specific:
Start Zone Elevation: BTL: Below Tree Line
Aspect: SW
Characteristics
Trigger: Natural
Trigger modifier:
Type: Unknown
Failure Plane:
Size
Relative Size: R2 small
Destructive Size: D2 – could bury, injure, or kill a person
Avg. crown height (inches):
Avg. width (feet):
Avg. vertical run (feet):
Involvements
# of people caught:
# of partial burials:
# of full burials:
Additional comments: 3 large wet avalanches in the Upper Slate near Yule Pass. Couldn’t see the start zones and don’t know if the were loose wet or wet slab avalanches.
Estimated avalanche date: 04/11/2023
Number of Avalanches: 3
Location
Location: Poverty Gulch (Pittsburg, Augusta, Baxter Basin)
Location Specific:
Start Zone Elevation: BTL: Below Tree Line
Aspect:
Characteristics
Trigger:
Trigger modifier:
Type: Wet Loose
Failure Plane:
Size
Relative Size: R1 very small
Destructive Size: D1.5
Avg. crown height (inches):
Avg. width (feet):
Avg. vertical run (feet):
Involvements
# of people caught:
# of partial burials:
# of full burials:
Additional comments:
6229
