Soggy Pants

Date of Observation: 03/15/2023
Name: Evan Ross

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Mostly traveled between 10,200ft and 11,200ft on a variety of aspects in Washington Gulch.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: If a D1 had a baby, I found it. Triggered two very small storm slabs on east-facing slopes where slope angles were over 40 degrees. These slabs failed just above yesterday’s crust. several other similar test slopes didn’t produce results.

Pushed a few thick sluffs down steep slopes, but they never ran far and mostly just accordioned in the top 2 to 3 inches of moist now.

Weather: Between noon and 4pm, obscured sky with mostly S-1 to S1 snowfall. Calm winds.

Snowpack: HST was 4 to 5″. I didn’t observe an increase in the HST while out, though some water was accumulating. Calm winds and no active wind-loading were observed, though I did find a couple of drifts up to 30cm thick that must have formed during stronger winds this morning or last night. At higher elevations, there was a density change in the storm snow, with lower-density snow at the bottom of the developing storm slab. However, those slabs were just not thick enough yet to produce results. The cleanest sheers I observed were on SE and E-facing slopes with the developing storm snow producing clear shears just above yesterday’s crusts.

Pushed a few thick sluffs down steep slopes, but they never ran far and mostly just accordioned in the top 2 to 3 inches of moist now.