pine pass

Avalanche

pamann · Jan 30, 2016 · Pine Pass

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Quick report

Weather
cloudy
Ride Type
mellowSlopes
Stayed Away
convexSlopes, steepSlopes
Riding Quality
ok
Snow Conditions
heavy, powder, windAffected
Avalanche Conditions
avalancheConditionSnow

Test profile done at treeline outside of Powder king ski area on a NE aspect.

Weather

Max Temp
0
Min Temp
-4
Wind Speed
windSpeedModerate
Blowing Snow
moderate
Rainfall Rate
pouring
Sky Condition
scatteredClouds
Wind Direction
SW
Storm Start Date
2016-01-27
Storm Snow Amount
50
Temperature Trend
falling
Precipitation Type
rain

heavy rain in valley bottom converts to significant snow in alpine, my observations are from a small sample, however this rain event will have significantly loaded upper elevations with heavy dense storm snow

Snowpack

Depth
90
Obs Type
summary
Site Aspect
SW, S, SE
Test Fracture
resistant
Site Elevation
870
Ski Penetration
15
Test Initiation
moderate
Foot Penetration
45
Test Failure Depth
45
Site Elevation Band
btl
Test Failure Layer Crystal Types
surfaceHoar, stormSnow

pit done on day after rain event. significant wind affect in alpine. heavy dense slabs overlie both a surface hoar layer and also a upper pack low density layer below a new rain crust. This rain crust was near the surface in exposed areas, down ~30 cm in protected terrain.

Avalanche

Run Length
100
Slab Width
10
Trigger Type
natural
Wind Exposure
noWindExposure
Avalanche Size
1.5
Slab Thickness
50
Start Zone Aspect
SE, SW, S
Vegetation Cover
openSlope
Start Zone Incline
40
Avalanche Character
wetSlab, looseWet
Crust Near Weak Layer
1
Number Of Avalanches
2-5
Start Zone Elevation
870
Weak Layer Burial Date
2016-01-09
Avalanche Observation
12to24hrsAgo
Weak Layer Crystal Type
depthHoar, surfaceHoar
Start Zone Elevation Band
btl
Avalanche Occurrence Datetime
2016-01-28T00:00:00

widespread low elevation activity due to over 40mm of rain from Jan27-28th Significant wind affect late on Jan 28th as storm cooled and changed to snow at upper elevations