Public Observation

Observation Details

Observations

We found wind crust/facet combos on N-NE aspects in isolated terrain at around 8200ft below the left gully. Hand shears showed reactivity and SP results during isolation, however it took quite an effort to get a slab to release beneath our skis. Supportable under our skis at first, we jumped with some force which resulted in shooting cracks and a cohesive slab release on test slopes.
We did the same tests higher up at around 8600ft but didn't find the same wind crust/facet combo. If we had more time we would have accumulated more data points at this elevation.
We were, however, distracted by the obvious avalanche that must have occurred between 2-7 days ago in this gully. Since we didn't ascend higher, I can't say what the trigger was and couldn't see a crown higher up even through my scope. Potential cornice fall or some sort of trigger produced sloughing into the gully that ran all the way down to the runout zone at 8500ft, where a wind slab was triggered, leaving a crown on the NW side of the gully just below some trees. It definitely intrigued me since I couldn't quite tell where exactly the avalanche had released up higher, and the fact that it ran the entirety of the gully surprised me. It would be great to go back and gather more data on this event.

Observed Avalanches

Signs of Unstable Snow