Location: Paradise Divide Area
Date of Observation: 12/27/2018
Name: Eric Murrow
Subject: P-Divide shaded treeline structure
Aspect: North East
Elevation: 11,500′
Avalanches: While driving to town in the morning noticed a fresh slab on Whetstone in Lucky Boy Basin area, released in apron below steeper bowl feature. ESE @ 11,900′.
Weather: Mostly clear with a few high clouds filtering through. Air temps were reasonable at -7c @ 1115am, winds were calm.
Snowpack: Dug a full profile on a near treeline shaded slope to take a look at basal weak layer and more recent developing “Santa Slab” in upper snowpack. Most notably test site produced moderate CT and ECTP results around the 12/19 interface (Santa Slab). This location had a thin, stiff wind deposited slab below the Christmas storm snow that was resting on buried near surface facets that developed from the dry period during the middle of December. Basal depth hoar continues to show signs of rounding but is still 2 to 3mm in size and 4F hardness. See image below.
Photos:
-
- Profile from Paradise Divide area above Elkton on NE slope, 11,500′
-
- obs 12/27 D1.5 Whetstone, ESE
