Date of Observation: 03/23/2022
Name: Eric Murrow
Zone: Northwest Mountains
Route Description: Washington Gulch to Elkton and tour around sunny side of Mount Baldy
Observed avalanche activity: No
Avalanches: no fresh avalanches were observed
Weather: Clear skies and strong northerly winds. There was constant snow transport at upper elevations. Much of the blowing snow appeared to be blasted into the atmosphere, but isolated leeward features were forming hard slabs.
Snowpack: I went hunting for fresh Wind Slab formation on the south half of the compass and found many leeward features to be blasted by the wind and not forming fresh hard slabs. One small south-facing feature near treeline was well-drifted, around a foot deep, and produced propagating test results while I was isolating the column. This location had two distinct thin slabs (up to pencil hard) stacked above a melt-freeze crust. This feature was adjacent to a good-sized northerly fetch. Surprisingly, I was not able to trigger this slope by stomping around. In this area, I was able to identify drifted features by a smooth-ish appearance.
I also dug a quick profile on a west-facing near treeline slope to gather more data on the Persistent Slab problem. Here the slab was 70cm thick and up to pencil hard. No results in standard ECT, but when I removed most of the slab, I was able to get a propagating result. The weak layer was 4finger minus in hardness and 1-1.5mm in size and rounding.
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- The hole in this feature is my profile site where I found a sensitive, hard slab. Out of frame to the right is the northerly fetch where the recent winds picked up snow and deposited behind the abrupt break in the terrain.
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- The test profile from the well-drifted south-facing feature near treeline from the previous photo. This slab was pencil hard, looked smooth-ish, and made a hollow drum sound while I stomped on it.
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- A quick look at a near-treeline westerly feature. Test results suggest and difficult to trigger Persistent Slab problem.
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- An example of snow being blasted into the atmosphere by northerly winds. Some isolated places in these southwest-facing gullies on Gothic were being loaded.
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- Mount Baldy looked like this for several hours. Snow was being blasted into the atmosphere relentlessly. Actual Wind Slab formation was isolated below the ridgetop as the winds were so strong they prevented loading in traditional places.
