Eddies | Chugach Avalanche Center

Red Flags

Red flags are simple visual clues that are a sign of potential avalanche danger. Please record any sign of red flags below.

Observer Comments

None observed
Found more evidence of the xmas cycle. The Eddies headwall had old debris as well as a cornice fall and avalanche below that was either xmas or 12.30 wind event. Also saw old avalanche debris across the road in Little Sweden that also looked like it was xmas cycle. There was old long cracking along the ridge to the headwall that looked associated wth the wind storm. Checked out the glide cracks from a far and a natural on the South side of Eddies (also mostly likely xmas cycle). Todds still looks mostly intact and suspect...

Weather & Snow Characteristics

Please provide details to help us determine the weather and snowpack during the time this observation took place.

Weather

Clear in am with high clouds moving in the afternoon
Inversion with valley fog
6F at parking lot high 20Fs to low 30Fs on ridge
Light W winds

Snow surface

Variable!
Newly developing surface hoar in valley
Wind crust, wind slab, pockets of soft settled powder
On the ridge there was old exposed surface hoar (December 24th) from wind scouring

Snowpack

VARIABLE
Wind slabs...
Depths treeline and below were in the 1-1.5 meter range. Depths in the Eddies bowl averaged 2 meters.
Probed a bunch on ascent. Supportable MF crust to 1100 ft from parking lot from warm up during xmas storm.
Distinctly hard over soft to 2000'
Dug in two pit locations: See photos.
# 1 on SW 2500' HS: 100 cm 20 degrees CTN x 3 Notable MF layer from 50 cm to the ground. December 24th surface hoar on surface or below 2 -4 cm of wind crust.

#2 x 2 pits on NE 2440' HS: 170cm and HS: 130 cm. Buried surface hoar notable in pit wall but not reactive 55 cm below surface. There was a failure in all CTs and ECsT under the wind slab. Weak layer was preserved stellars. CT 5, CT 12, CT 16, ECTP 23, ECTP 19. Wind slab depth varied from 20-35 cm. There was alas a buried layer of facets 70 cm below surface that was reactive in CTs: CT 15, CT 17, CT 24 but was not reactive in ECTs.

Photos & Video

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