Below threshold?

Quick report

ahnice · Nov 7, 2024 · North Rockies

View on map
Observation photo 1

Quick report

Weather
cloudy, sunny, warm
Ride Type
cutBlocks, openTrees, sunnySlopes
Stayed Away
alpineSlopes
Riding Quality
ok
Snow Conditions
powder
Avalanche Conditions
avalancheConditionTemp

The sharks are lurking and will bite if you try to feed them. Stay clear of anything that looks like it might have teeth and keep it mellow. The alders are on the hunt to make new friends as well. Light-footed skiing highly recommended. Overall surprisingly decent turns (considering the low snow depth). Temps were rising around lunchtime. We assumed it’d be unlikely to observe any avalanche activity due to the snowpack being below threshold - but if you find a deep pocket, your search shall end. We spotted several natural avalanches that started near ridge top.

Weather

Avg Temp
-1
Max Temp
1
Min Temp
-7
Wind Speed
windSpeedCalm
Blowing Snow
light
Sky Condition
brokenClouds
Wind Direction
SE
New Snow24 Hours
3
Storm Start Date
2024-11-01
Temperature Trend
rising
Precipitation Type
none

Blowing snow observed at ridge top on NW aspect (around 12:30pm from the parking lot).

Snowpack

Depth
52
Obs Type
summary
Site Aspect
NE
Site Elevation
2000
Foot Penetration
35
Site Elevation Band
tln
Surface Conditions
newSnow, surfaceHoar, variable

Early season snowpack. Surface hoar up to 3mm at lower elevations (and a mix of PP 1-2mm, PPsd 2-3mm and isolated SH fragments at 2000m observed). Snowdepth variable between 37cm at lower elevation to 52cm at Summit.

Avalanche

Run Length
150
Slab Width
20
Trigger Type
natural
Wind Exposure
leeSlope
Avalanche Size
2.5
Slab Thickness
30
Start Zone Aspect
NW
Vegetation Cover
openSlope
Start Zone Incline
40
Avalanche Character
stormSlab
Number Of Avalanches
2-5
Start Zone Elevation
2300
Runout Zone Elevation
2150
Avalanche Observation
moreThan48hrsAgo
Start Zone Elevation Band
tln
Avalanche Occurrence Datetime
2024-11-05T10:00:00.000Z

Avalanches were only visible briefly and the lighting made it challenging to see the starting zone. Recorded wind speeds on Southridge were light over the last few days, so we suspect avalanches started sliding within recent storm snow (15cm on 11/04) with some wind loading near ridge top on NW aspect.