Observations

Date of Observation: 04/17/2023
Name: Evan Ross

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Poverty Gulch near Pittsburg.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: This avalanche was previously reported and ran on 4/12.

This wet slab was triggered by a wet loose avalanche from above. In total, it ran 800 vertical feet, though the slab only ran about 400ft. It was surprisingly destructive. In the debris there were many aspen trees, maybe 30 to 50, and there were about 10 mature pine trees. This slope had several wet loose avalanche events in the couple of weeks before it ran as this wet slab.

Photos:

6245

Date of Observation: 04/16/2023

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Coneys

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Triggered on the rollover at the end of coneys. 11 am ish

Photos:

6243

Date of Observation: 04/16/2023
Name: Turner Petersen

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Skied 2 laps on the s tube and down to our sleds via camo glades.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Kicked off a very small wind slab maybe 15 feet wide on my entrance ski cut that ended up entraining my Sluff. Ran maybe 800ft. Wouldn’t bury you but wouldn’t be fun. Took place skiers left of s proper.
Weather: Sunny
Snowpack: Cold 7” on northerlies.

Photos:

6242

Date of Observation: 04/16/2023
Name: Zach Guy

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Purple Ridge to 12,200′. Easterly and northerly aspects.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Numerous small wet loose avalanches ran at all elevations, predominantly on east and southeast aspects this morning (D1s). A few reached around to NE aspects BTL. These all ran on the dust/crust layer. We skier triggered a couple of similar avalanches and observed other skier triggered slides as well. Skier triggered one hot wind slab that entrained wet loose snow on a crossloaded gulley below treeline (D1).
Weather: Light ridgetop winds, minor transport. Clear skies. Springlike temps.
Snowpack: Settled storm snow depths ranged from 4″ to 8″, notably redistributed by wind in this area.
Targeted a few windloaded test slopes and could only get localized cracking with no releases, until we got one wind slab to pop later in the day in a steep chute. Drifts were up to 2 feet thick below large fetches, but the cracking was occurring on a mid-storm layer about 6″ to 8″ deep.
Mid to high northerlies stayed dry, with wet loose activity beginning mid-morning on easterlies. The 4/14 interface stayed frozen and supportive to ski pen through midday.

Photos:

6241

Date of Observation: 04/16/2023
Name: Zach Guy

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Viewed from Slate River Road and Purple Ridge.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Schuylkill Ridge saw a wind slab cycle (averaging D1.5) on crossloaded terrain from Northwest winds yesterday. Several other soft slabs above treeline ran during or after the storm yesterday.

Photos:

6240

Date of Observation: 04/16/2023
Name: Zach Guy

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Upper Slate area

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: A few more previously undocumented wet slabs. These ran sometime after Evan was in the area mid-day on 4/12, so likely the afternoon of 4/12 or sometime 4/13.

Photos:

6239

Date of Observation: 04/16/2023
Name: Gunnar Doyle

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Started at Washington Gulch TH, made our way up the ridge to the west of the Spoon. Skied the little spoon to the lookers left of the spoon twice.

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: R.5, D1 Wet Loose triggered by skier. Skier was able to ski out unharmed. The avalanche ran a few hundred feet down the terrain feature.
Weather: Sunny, no winds, 35°
Snowpack: A few inches of fresh snow from Friday night’s storm on top of a crust.

Photos:

6238

Date of Observation: 04/15/2023
Name: Sean Feese

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Normal sled route out slate to the daisy pass area

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: Ski cut one wind slab which triggered on the east face. Shallow, soft ran a few hundred vert. A handful of small windslabs released naturally. East aspect recieved sun midmorning and developed a crust when temps dropped in the afternoon. S face remained dry all day.
Weather: Partly cloudy, breezy. Light snow in the morning.
Snowpack: Overnight temps set up the old snow, though some spots near valley bottom remained wet and the snowmobile cut through. Significant wind loading all day in the alpine on easterly aspects.

Photos:

6237

Date of Observation: 04/15/2023

Zone: Southeast Mountains
Route Description: Walrod gulch road, from the parking lot on cement creek road, .2 miles up the trail.

Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches: The available appears to have run mid week during the warm up. Some of the snow/ice chunks were 2-3 feet in diameter. Some tree damage near the base of the hill. Debris stopped at the base of the hill before hitting the main trail.
Weather: Sunny and cool
Snowpack: Dust on fragile crust. About two inches of fresh snow on top of unstable crust.

Photos:

6236

Date of Observation: 04/15/2023
Name: Zach Guy

Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Mt. Axtell Green Lake Bowl

Observed avalanche activity: Yes
Avalanches: D2 cornice fall above Green Lake, likely yesterday or today.

Photos:

6235