Natural slides in Ruby Range and vicinity

CB Avalanche Center2014-15 Observations

Name: Zach Guy
Title: Natural slides
Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 01/06/2015
Aspect: East, South East, South, South West, West
Elevation: Near and above treeline

Avalanches: 2 Natural windslabs in the past couple days, one off of the east face of Owen, one off of a Northeast couloir on Scarp’s Ridge, ATL slopes. Both looked to be about a foot deep, relatively small, less than 40 feet wide. (SS-N-R1-D1-I).  Over a dozen wet loose avalanches on south aspects near treeline in Peeler and Robinson Basin, D1 to D1.5 in size.  Some of these showed some horizontal propagation as they ran.  WL-N-R1-D1/1.5-S.   One wet loose triggered a larger slab, estimated about 2 feet deep on the Dec 13th crust.  SS-NL-R2-D2-O.

Weather: Light westerly winds. WARM. High of 40F at 10,000 ft. Few clouds.

Snowpack: New surface hoar layer, preserved on low angle slopes that didn’t get cooked by the sun. Snowpack became moist with lots of rollerballs on SE to S to W aspects on near treeline slopes, and S aspects above treeline.

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