Date of Observation: 01/28/2022
Name: Zach Guy and Jack Caprio
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Schuykill Peak. Traveled on NE to E to S aspects to 12,100 ft.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Triggered a handful of shallow sluffs and shallow wind slabs, all harmless in size (D1 or less). See photos of a few of the larger recent avalanches that we spotted involving surface instabilities.
Weather: Another beautiful day above the inversion. Calm winds. Clear skies.
Snowpack: Isolated pockets of drifted snow from 2″ to 5″ thick were reactive on cross-drifted northerly aspects where fresh drifting formed over faceted snow. These were all completely harmless by themselves, but in terrain where they could entrain loose snow below, they could grow large enough to knock you over. Wind slabs were easy to identify because the snow surface became noticeably stiffer and grabbier than all the facet pow skiing.
Sluffing gouged into older faceted snow in shallow areas such as near rocks and very steep terrain. Everything we triggered was D1 in size.
Southerly aspects had a dusting of snow on a thick crust that was supportive to boot pen. Crampons were nice for steep southerlies.
Photos:
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A mix of thin soft slabs and sluffs near Redwell Basin
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Good sluff management in the Great Wide Open. Likely triggered sometime in the last few days. One of the larger sluffs observed so far this month; this area has an especially weak snowpack because it ran near the ground on 12/31
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Natural sluff on an old bedsurface of Schuylkill Ridge
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Very small wind slab on a cross drifted near treeline slope facing northeast.
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Some shallow skier triggered sluffs above treeline.
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Sluff management on a shady, sustained steep pitch.
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Thin wind slab on a rollover that had been gently drifted by yesterday’s wind.
Estimated avalanche date: 01/28/2022
Number of Avalanches: 2
Location
Location: Schuylkill Ridge
Location Specific:
Start Zone Elevation: ATL: Above Tree Line
Aspect: E
Characteristics
Trigger: Skier
Trigger modifier:
Type: Loose
Failure Plane:
Size
Relative Size: R1 very small
Destructive Size: D1- Relatively harmless to people
Avg. crown height (inches):
Avg. width (feet):
Avg. vertical run (feet): 500
Involvements
# of people caught:
# of partial burials:
# of full burials:
Additional comments: Schuylkill East face
Estimated avalanche date: 01/28/2022
Number of Avalanches: 2
Location
Location: Schuylkill Ridge
Location Specific:
Start Zone Elevation: NTL: Near Tree Line
Aspect: NE
Characteristics
Trigger: Skier
Trigger modifier:
Type: Loose
Failure Plane:
Size
Relative Size: R1 very small
Destructive Size: D1- Relatively harmless to people
Avg. crown height (inches):
Avg. width (feet):
Avg. vertical run (feet): 500
Involvements
# of people caught:
# of partial burials:
# of full burials:
Additional comments: Schuykill Sub Peak
Estimated avalanche date: 01/28/2022
Number of Avalanches: 2
Location
Location: Schuylkill Ridge
Location Specific:
Start Zone Elevation: NTL: Near Tree Line
Aspect: NE
Characteristics
Trigger: Skier
Trigger modifier:
Type: Soft Slab
Failure Plane: New/Old interface
Size
Relative Size: R1 very small
Destructive Size: D1- Relatively harmless to people
Avg. crown height (inches):
Avg. width (feet):
Avg. vertical run (feet):
Involvements
# of people caught:
# of partial burials:
# of full burials:
Additional comments:
Estimated avalanche date: 01/27/2022
Number of Avalanches: 1
Location
Location: Mount Emmons
Location Specific:
Start Zone Elevation: ATL: Above Tree Line
Aspect: NE
Characteristics
Trigger: Natural
Trigger modifier:
Type: Unknown
Failure Plane:
Size
Relative Size: R1 very small
Destructive Size: D1- Relatively harmless to people
Avg. crown height (inches):
Avg. width (feet):
Avg. vertical run (feet):
Involvements
# of people caught:
# of partial burials:
# of full burials:
Additional comments: The shield of Redwell, likely triggered by cross drifting yesterday. Looks like a mix of soft slab and loose
Estimated avalanche date: 01/26/2022
Number of Avalanches: 1
Location
Location: Schuylkill Ridge
Location Specific:
Start Zone Elevation: NTL: Near Tree Line
Aspect: NE
Characteristics
Trigger: Skier
Trigger modifier:
Type: 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: Great Wide Open. Likely triggered sometime in the last few days. One of the larger sluffs observed so far this month; this area has an especially weak snowpack because it ran near the ground on 12/31.
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