Location: Brush Creek Area
Date of Observation: 02/20/2020
Name: Eric Murrow
Subject: West Brush Creek
Aspect: East, South East, South
Elevation: 9000′ – 11800′
Avalanches: Viewed a couple more recent (failed early in the week) small slabs on east and northeast slopes near and below treeline.
Weather: Clear skies, cold valley bottom in moring gave way to mild air temps, and light winds.
Snowpack: Traveled to about treeline on Teocalli and dug a couple of test profiles – one on southeast(treeline) and another on an east slope(upper end of below treeline elevation) (see photos). Test results indicated that triggered avalanches remain possible. Sunnier slopes near and above treeline have crust/facet combinations with slabs resting above (likely similar structure to natural avalanches observed over the past week on south and southeast alpine slopes) and shaded slopes at upper end of below treeline elevation band have a very weak layer in middle of snowpack and near ground with a cohesive slab above. While stepping out of profile pit on E slope at 11000′, my partner and I produced a collapse in the snowpack that traveled several hundred feet but did not produce an avalanche on slope below (see photo).
Photos:
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- Test profile from southeast slope 11600′
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- Test profile from east slope at 11100′
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- Crack from collapse is visible in foreground and propagate at least to steep shaded area up the ridge.
