Location: Paradise Divide Area
Subject: Wind Loading in Poverty Gulch Zone
Aspect: South
Elevation: 10,000’
Avalanches: Multiple natural wind slab avalanches were releasing on south facing convex rollovers that had a crust. Wind slabs were releasing anywhere from 2 inches to 12 inches thick. Our party also triggered a wind slab while skinning uphill in low angle rolling terrain. These avalanches only ran up to 40 feet, not a lot of energy and not enough snow to bury a person, but enough to knock a person off their feet.
Weather: Very gusty winds, Moderate temperatures, cloudy skies becoming clear after noon.
Snowpack: South facing aspects had a crust, with active wind loading, creating slabs up to 1 foot thick by noon.
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