Observations

Date of Observation: 01/02/2022
Name: Kirk Haskell

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Caves Cutoff to Caves Bowl

Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches: None in the area. Large settlements on way up ski track on areas where there had been snow leftover from previous storms.
Weather: Clear , Calm , cold
Snowpack: 120cm at top. Most of the south face did not have snow previously before this big storm. About 10-20cm of facets at Ground.

Photos:

5192

Date of Observation: 01/02/2022
Name: Zach Guy and Zach Kinler

Zone: Northwest Mountains and Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Early a.m. flight circling most of the outer boundaries of the forecast area.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: We documented widespread persistent slab activity on north to east aspects above treeline in the Northwest Mountains, ranging from D3 to D4 in size. Most peaks in the Anthracites, Ruby Range, and near Paradise divide produced at least one destructive avalanche. The Southeast Mountains had fewer and smaller slides, generally D2.5 to D3.5 on the same aspects above treeline. There were a handful of persistent slabs on west aspects and southeast aspects as well. Very little activity on south and southwest aspects. Most of the activity that we documented was fresh enough that it likely ran during the 12/31 storm. There was clearly older debris from earlier in the week that is too obscured to document accurately. There were a few persistent slabs in the Southeast Mountains that ran as recently as last night or the day before, caused by windloading. We will be uploading photos and coding activity into our database over the next couple days. Until then, this link has photos of activity.  https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1Ecn5VY0f8MxaUjHjxu5TUvjq0KTdefoc

5191

Date of Observation: 01/02/2022
Name: Zach Guy and Zach Kinler

Zone: Outside of forecast area
Route Description: Taylor Canyon southeast of CBAC forecast area. Traveled on SE to NE aspects BTL.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: A couple of small persistent slabs from the storm in sparse glades below treeline on easterly aspects.
Weather: Cold, clear, calm
Snowpack: HS averaged 70 cm. We observed several rumbling collapses and a handful of localized cracks and collapses. Slabs are ~50 cm thick (up to 4F) over 2 to 3 mm facets. This area is quite a bit shallower and more reactive than what we have observed within our forecast area. I’m sharing it to highlight how human triggering is currently more likely if you are chasing objectives in areas that don’t typically have good coverage, such as Round Mountain or Walrod. With inversions locked in the canyon, slabs will be faceting away fairly quickly in wind protected terrain here.

5189

Date of Observation: 01/02/2022

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: N/a

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: W sub ridge of white mountain
Weather: Na
Snowpack: Na

Photos:

5188

Date of Observation: 01/01/2022
Name: Ian Havlick

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Quick tour up Caves Trail in Cement Creek. Descended same route

Observed avalanche activity: No
Weather: Cold, Clearing, light northerly winds
Snowpack: HS 80-150cm, generally good structure but was wary of shady areas that have preserved 3-5mm facets near ground and near associated melt-freeze crust 80-100cm deep. Pretty significant wind transport evidence from previous day, variable re-distribution but generally stripped from southerly facing aspects during storm with northerly winds yesterday undoing that pattern. Dense storm slab, with 20cm ski pen.

5187

Date of Observation: 01/01/2022
Name: Than Acuff

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Gothic Mtn

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Avalanche off Gothic spoon from below the choke lookers left and another smaller pocket below it same side. Appeared to have pulled out after the snow stopped as crown looked sharp(?). Didn’t appear to run very far.

5186

Date of Observation: 01/01/2022
Name: Zach Guy and Eric Murrow

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: West Brush. We traveled mostly on flat terrain or on southwest aspects below treeline.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Relative to what we’ve documented so far in the Northwest Mountains, avalanche activity out here was smaller, D2 to D2.5, mostly on E to NE aspects from our vantage. There were a few slides that ran yesterday and a few that ran earlier in the storm that required a keen eye to see the debris piles. Those crowns were filled in.
Weather: Cooling trend as the day progressed. Moderate northwest winds at ridgetop, with some wind transport near treeline and decent transport above treeline. Partly cloudy skies.
Snowpack: No signs of instability observed. We tested the 12/23 interface (small grained, rounding facets) on a southwest slope below treeline and got consistent non-propagating results. Slab thickness was 135 cm, HS 170.

Photos:

5185

Date of Observation: 01/01/2022
Name: Dave Koz

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Ruby Peak

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Caught this moving snow coming off of Ruby today.

Photos:

5184

Date of Observation: 01/01/2022
Name: Zach Guy

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Mt. Axtell Viewed from Mt. CB

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Several D3 to D3.5 avalanches on Mt. Axtell that ran yesterday. Both wrapped across multiple aspects.

Photos:

5183

Date of Observation: 01/01/2022
Name: Zach Guy

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Viewed from Mt. CB. Got a window of so-so vis and could see a handful of peaks in the Northwest Mountains and Gothic.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Numerous very destructive avalanches, ranging from D3 to D4 in size. Couldn’t see runouts so making estimates on size based on terrain size, crown size, and amount of snow in tracks and runouts. All of the crowns shown in the photos below look crisp enough that they likely ran yesterday.

Photos:

5182