Surprises Still Possible

Quick report

Weather

windy, stormy, warm

Ride Type

mellowSlopes

Stayed Away

convexSlopes, steepSlopes

Riding Quality

ok

Snow Conditions

hard, windAffected

The snowfall from the end of February has firmed up and not much has fallen since. Despite this, we saw a large avalanche that occurred last weekend. The nearby sled tracks had us wondering if it was sleddertriggered. While we're seeing fewer natural avalanches, we are concerned that people can trigger avalanches. Anywhere we dig down, we're still seeing the February persistent weak layers in the upper snowpack. These layers are now deep enough that they will produce large avalanches if triggered. For now, we're going to continue to stick to small slopes that are not connected to large features.

Weather

Avg Temp

-3

Wind Speed

windSpeedModerate

Blowing Snow

light

Sky Condition

overcast

Snowfall Rate

1

Wind Direction

SW

Temperature Trend

steady

Precipitation Type

snow

Snowpack

Depth

170

Obs Type

point

Site Aspect

N, SW

Test Fracture

sudden

Site Elevation

1900

Test Initiation

moderate

Cracking Observed

1

Test Failure Depth

45

Site Elevation Band

btl

Test Failure Layer Crystal Types

facets

ECTP16 down 45 CTM18 SC down 45 CTH21 down 55 on February PWL's