Sinclair Slides

Quick report

Weather

cloudy, stormy, warm

Ride Type

alpineSlopes, mellowSlopes, openTrees

Stayed Away

convexSlopes, steepSlopes

Riding Quality

good

Snow Conditions

hard, powder, windAffected

We headed up Sinclair today to gather some alpine observations and investigate the current windslab problem. At the end of the access trail entering the bowl we were met with natural windslab avalanches, multiple size 2 and a size 2.5. These crown lines were tricky to spot with recent wind deposition filling them back in but with investigation we found them to be 60-100cm thick. In a crown profile we found the failure plane on facets from the recent cold snap being buried by the more recent warm storm snow and sustained SW winds. These conditions have created a more dense slab above the previously cold storm snow and will need some more time to fully bond. Our extended column tests yielded multiple hard results on this layer, as well as moderate compression test results on storm snow interfaces in the upper 20cm. It was -1.5 throughout the day with light SW winds and light snow. Also worth noting that cornices have been growing considerably with our recent conditions.

Avalanche

Run Length

249

Slab Width

100

Trigger Type

natural

Wind Exposure

leeSlope

Avalanche Size

2.5

Start Zone Aspect

NE

Vegetation Cover

openSlope

Avalanche Character

windSlab

Number Of Avalanches

1

Avalanche Observation

12to24hrsAgo

Weak Layer Crystal Type

facets

Start Zone Elevation Band

alp

Avalanche Occurrence Datetime

2025-12-30T20:00:00.000Z