CAIC Observation Report

Snowpack

We witnessed a natural avalanche today on Citadel's south shoulder. The slope is an east aspect, far above treeline, and released naturally from new wind-deposited snow load today. Time of release was 1310. We were on Trelease's north side so were across the valley, unable to get greater detail. The slide appeared to be a relatively thin soft slab and I'd guess R2D2 (150'across x 300'down x ~12") but, again, too hard to say from our vantage point. This was the only sign of instability we saw today throughout our tour. A profile dug at 11,400' on Trelease's north side gave CTH(26)Q1,SCx2 and ECT26,Q1 at ~100cm down (55cm from the ground) on 35-degree slope. Hard scores but dramatic results.