Public Observation

Observation Details

Observations

Toured up mellow terrain above Big Pine creek with a very conservative agenda. We observed many very large hard slab avalanches that ran during and following the storm. Pretty much any northerly and many easterly aspects had massive crowns all over them. We didn't dig a pit or observe any cracking, but I did trigger a whumph on the lee of a ridge (nearly flat slope). South aspects were soft and made for very fun skiing, however on the easterly aspects we found a very challenging and grabby crust.

Right now I am pretty freaked out by the snowpack. Every single avalanche we saw was likely unsurvivable. I haven't really dealt with persistent layers like this, and I'm not sure how the healing will proceed over short and medium term.

Observed Avalanches

Signs of Unstable Snow