Date of Observation: 12/06/2022
Name: Eric Murrow
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Slate River Road to Pittsburg Rollers
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Observed a few natural avalanches. One slab in the storm snow on an east slope and a couple of slabs failed in weak snow at the ground on northeast slopes near and below treeline. A few small loose avalanches on a variety of aspects as the new snow was low-density and “sluffy”.
Weather: Around 14 inches of low-density snow at 1230pm at 10,4000 feet. Snowfall rates of 2″/hour during the morning. Light winds below treeline.
Snowpack: Recreational pow ski day. Snow depth is around 115cm on shaded aspects below treeline. The slab over the early season facets continues to gain strength (1 finger hardness and supportive to boots) and has made for fewer signs of instability underfoot; we often had to hop once while off the skin track to produce a loud, rumbling collapse.
Photos:
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Natural avalanche breaking in old snow below treeline near Pittsburg.
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A natural avalanche off Schuylkill Ridge. Some debris ran over the bench and down the gully and just barely made it to valley bottom. This terrain feature produced several small natural avalanches around 11/29.
Estimated avalanche date: 12/06/2022
Number of Avalanches: 1
Location
Location: Poverty Gulch (Pittsburg, Augusta, Baxter Basin)
Location Specific:
Start Zone Elevation: NTL: Near Tree Line
Aspect: E
Characteristics
Trigger: Natural
Trigger modifier:
Type: Soft Slab
Failure Plane: New/Old interface
Size
Relative Size: R1 very small
Destructive Size: D1.5
Avg. crown height (inches): 10
Avg. width (feet):
Avg. vertical run (feet):
Involvements
# of people caught:
# of partial burials:
# of full burials:
Additional comments:
Estimated avalanche date: 12/06/2022
Number of Avalanches: 1
Location
Location: Poverty Gulch (Pittsburg, Augusta, Baxter Basin)
Location Specific:
Start Zone Elevation: BTL: Below Tree Line
Aspect: NE
Characteristics
Trigger:
Trigger modifier:
Type: Soft Slab
Failure Plane: Old snow
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:
Estimated avalanche date: 12/06/2022
Number of Avalanches: 1
Location
Location: Schuylkill Ridge
Location Specific:
Start Zone Elevation: NTL: Near Tree Line
Aspect: NE
Characteristics
Trigger: Natural
Trigger modifier:
Type:
Failure Plane:
Size
Relative Size: R1 very 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: First carbon copy. Parts of this feature produced small avalanches during the avalanche cycle 11/29.
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