Avalanche: Hatcher Pass

Location: Lost Couloir

Date:
Observer:
Heather Johnson
Route & General Observations

Booted and skied the lost and were surprised the winds and snow moved in before 11. There was active snow transport starting at the curtain, off the rocks booters right and found strong gusts at the top out. We kicked off a couple soft wind slabs near the rocks on booters right. Because of this we chose to boot left of the exposed rocks in the middle (near top) and stayed away from the right side.

Avalanche Details
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Trigger SkierRemote Trigger No
Avalanche Type Soft SlabAspect North Northeast
ElevationunknownSlope Angleunknown
Crown DepthunknownWidthunknown
Vertical Rununknown  
Avalanche Details

While booting the bottom third of the couloir, my partner triggered soft fresh wind slab twice along the bottom of the rocks on booters right. The first one had a longer crown about 35 feet but only an inches or two thick. It did not propagate across the coulior, just along the rocks. Second one was the same but only broke about 15 ft along rocks. This slab had debri pieces that were a little thicker ranging up to 3-5 inches. Pictures attached. Because of these fresh small slabs we chose to boot left of the exposed rocks (near the top) to avoid a possible larger wind slab on booters right. We did not notice wind slabs from the rocks to the top out but Did experience some spindrift off the rocks

Red Flags
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Observer Comments

Change in winds and snow transporting off the rocks.

Weather & Snow Characteristics
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Weather

The clouds, snow, and wind seemed to have moved in earlier than expected. Car read 13 when we started. Light winds on the curtain and in the couloir. The top out we experienced some stronger steadier wind that provided blowing snow to act as a natural exfoliation treatment on the face and freeze my eyelids shut (had the wrong men lenses for flat light).

Snow surface

Variable in the couloir. Powder from the curtain to mid couloir, some wind crust , then found a melt freeze? crust 30/40 ft below the exposed rocks. This continued to just below the top out.

Snowpack

No formal pits were dug

Photos & Video
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Debris 1  

Debris photo 2  

Melt freeze? crust  

Location
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