| Trigger | Skier | Remote Trigger | Unknown |
| Avalanche Type | Soft Slab | Aspect | East |
| Elevation | 4700ft | Slope Angle | 40deg |
| Crown Depth | 6in | Width | 175ft |
| Vertical Run | 1000ft |
Avalanche: Hatcher Pass
Location: Eldorado
IMB > Eldordo Lower Rolls > Skyscraper East > Eldorado Headwall East
Avalanche Details
New snow had been wind-pressed or stiffened. Cohesive slab failed on ski cut. Entire terrain feature avalanched.
Obvious signs of instability
| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | Yes |
Observer Comments
Many small, recent natural avalanches, SS-N-D1-D1.5-I/O on east aspects of Skyscraper at mid elevation, 6-12" deep. Some avalanches occurred during the storm and were covered with fresh snow.
Cracking was generally localized on small, steep, test slopes and on ascent skin track (North Ridge of Skyscraper).
Numerous human triggered avalanches were triggered today.
One remotely triggered avalanche is significant to note, since it was triggered from a point 25 feet away from the actual avalanche.
Weather
Overcast skies > Broken in early AM > Overcast by late afternoon.
21F @ 3100' @ 10:00
15F @ 4500' @ 14:00
19F @ 3100' @ 16:00
Winds were generally light to moderate in the morning. Winds were transporting snow at ridgelines in the morning, with visible flagging over the Hatch Peak Ridgeline. Our skin track was partially filling back in each run.
Wind tapered toward the afternoon to calm to light at 5000', and wind transported snow ceased to be visible at ridgelines.
Snow surface
8-12" of new, low density snow, 2/5-2/6.
Slightly wind pressed surface, 2-6" deep, showing easy shears and localized cracking.
Snowpack
-A pulse of 2/5 snow appears to have paused before a secondary pulse of overnight snow on 2/5-6, leaving a somewhat reactive interface within the new storm snow.
-Additionally, a 2-6" wind a stiffened surface, 4F hardness, was sitting on Fist hard new snow. This was failing with ski cuts and localized cracking while breaking trail and on test slopes. This was today's primary concern.
-Some avalanches that occurred naturally during the storm appear to be approximately 8-10" deep failing on the new/old interface.
This bed surface is variable, from facets to old wind scoured crusts to smooth wind board.
Many hand pits and one formal pit were conducted today targeting the new snow problems and an older layer of facets.
3600', East aspect, 36 degree slope. New snow surface instabilities were limited to ECTN easy results. ECTP15 and 25 on facets down 55cm under and old, thin hard slab, consistent with recent results over the last week.
2/5-6 - Eldorado Lower Rolls, East, 3600'. Natural slab avalanches failed during storm.
2/5-6 - Eldorado Lower Rolls, East, 3600'. Natural slab avalanches failed during storm.
2/5-6? Eldorado, East, 3200'. Natural slab avalanche failed during storm.
Eldorado SE, 4100'. Old avalanche covered in new snow.
2/6 - Microdot, South, 4550'. Unintentional skier triggered avalanche, approximately 12" deep, contained to terrain feature. See observations for more details.
2/6 - Eldorado Headwall, East, 4650'. Intentional ski cut triggered at white X, crown in red, no involvement. 6" deep x 175' wide x 1200' vertical
2/6- Eldorado, NE, 4350'. REMOTELY triggered by rider at marked white X. Crown marked in red.