Date of Observation: 01/19/2023
Name: Eric Murrow
Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Cement Creek Road up Grassy Hill up Radio Tower Hill on snowmobile. Ski tour on eastern side of Radio Tower Hill.
Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Views into Southeast Mountains revealed just a few small Wind Slabs in alpine terrain. All appeared to be D1 in size, well short of D2;
Weather: Mostly clear skies with thin, high clouds sliding in around midday. Light winds before noon that went breathless at 12,000 feet in the afternoon. The recent storm cycle had a settle height of roughly 12″ at treeline.
Snowpack: I toured along a north-to-south ridgeline around 12,000 feet. No signs of instability underfoot while stomping along the thin edge of slabs on westerly start zones or drifted east through south terrain features. Weak layers are still obvious beneath slabs while probing on most aspects in this area but I was unable to produce any collapses. Snow profile on an alpine south slope showed several facet/crust layers with slabs stacked between but no propagating results (see photo). A northeast slope with a depth of 170cm near the treeline produced ECTX and PST END 65/120. I tried to find signs of instability and couldn’t; even without signs of instability or concerning test results, I would be hesitant to step into consequential terrain in this area for fear of finding a trigger point.
Snow depths near Reno Divide (11,300 feet) were 160cm, near Deadman’s TH (9,700 feet) in the middle portion of Cement Creek were 115cm.
Photos:-
- A very small Wind Slab in the center of the image was typical of natural activity in the Southeast Mountains. Viewed from Reno Ridge.
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- Another small Wind Slab on Hunter Hill’s southeast side. Typical of the small sized natural activity from the recent snow and wind.
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- The variable depth west side of Italian Mountain. Slab thickness varies greatly in this type windward terrain and numerous places for the weight of a person to initiate a failure exist.
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- South – southwest slopes of American Flag Mountain look relatively shallow and rocky. The type of terrain full of trigger points for releasing an avalanche.
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- A test profile from an alpine south slope along Reno Ridge. Snowpack structure contains slabs and weak layers, but not concerning test results. Weak layers are well within human-triggering depths.
