Location: Kebler Pass Area
Date of Observation: 03/21/2020
Name: Evan Ross
Subject: Sluffs And A Small Slab
Aspect: North, South East, North West
Elevation: 9,000-12,400
Avalanches: Small dry sluffs in the alpine. One fresh, small D1.5 slab, on a ENE facing slope, at 11,800ft. Unknown trigger on the slab, maybe people hiking above.
Weather: Clouds increased in the morning becoming overcast to obscured with S-1 snow. Light filtered through thin clouds at times improving visibility and creating some green housing. Calm wind.
Snowpack: No signs to instability were encountered. Similar to yesterday, many small dry sluffs have run in the alpine but those are not further triggering storm slabs. There has been very little wind-loading in the alpine over the last couple days. Wind-loading during the peak winds last Thursday, has been covered up by the more recent snow falling with little to no wind. While observations pointed to more of a sluffing avalanche problem, we still considered the possibility of triggering a slab avalanche on some steep terrain features or unsupported slopes.
A test profile on a northerly facing slope at 11,900ft. Had an HS of 250cm. A thick layer of grauple was down 65cm and a couple storm instabilities were found in the upper snowpack. No significant test results.
