Avalanche: Hatcher Pass

Location: Independence Mine Area

Date:
Observer:
Route & General Observations

I XC skied from the parking lot up the main trail around the mine building loop, then back to the parking lot. While skiing, I witness about 7-10 loose wet avalanches come off the ENE aspect of Skyscraper mountain. Each avalanche started on steep slopes (40°+).

Avalanche Details
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Trigger NaturalRemote Trigger0
Avalanche Type Wet Loose SnowAspect East Northeast
Elevation 4000ftSlope Angleunknown
Crown DepthunknownWidthunknown
Vertical Rununknown  
Avalanche Details

Rain, warm temps, and slope angles were the most likely triggers for these avalanches. I have added four pictures of the avalanches. Sorry about the poor resolution, it was getting dark and all I had was an iPhone.

Red Flags
Red flags are simple visual clues that are a sign of potential avalanche danger. Please record any sign of red flags below.
Obvious signs of instability
Recent Avalanches?Yes
Collapsing (Whumphing)?No
Cracking (Shooting cracks)?No
Observer Comments

Rain, 37-39° temps (Inversion), and recent snow

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

Rain
37-39°F around mine
Snow the night prior

Snow surface

Completely saturated wet snow

Photos & Video
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