Public Observation

Observation Date:

March 20, 2023

Submitted:

March 20, 2023

Zone or Region:

Mammoth Lakes

Activity:

Skiing/Snowboarding

Location:

mammoth knolls cornice break -wind slab failure

toured low-angle in the knolls monday morning ... observed cornice failures along the rim of an east-facing bowl being actively wind-loaded ... cornice debris was evident from both during(?) and after yesterday's snowfall ... fresher cornice debris had activated a panel of apparent wind slab 12-18 inches deep that had moved approx. 50 feet down the low-angle slope and ran out of gas ... elevation 8880 ft ...

Did you observe any avalanches?

Yes

Avalanche Type:

Soft Slab

Size:

Size 1: Relatively harmless to people

Elevation:

8880

Aspect:

E

Comments:

cornice failure appeared to cause approx 1/2--acre wind slab avalanche ... debris was on top of fresh snow from yesterday (sunday) ...

Did you see shooting cracks?

Yes

Did you experience collapsing or whumpfing?

No