| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | No |
Observation: Summit
Location: North Gilpatrick
Toured up to approx. 2,700’ and found ample evidence of strong winds during the past few days.
Obvious signs of instability
Observer Comments
There were some small pockets of wind effected surface snow that broke a couple inches deep around our skis, but we did not see any cracks that shot away from us. We also saw two very small naturally released wind slabs from some time in the past several days. Maximum crown depth was maybe a foot, and they occurred in places which were just steep enough to break and begin to separate into pieces of slab, but didn’t travel more than a few feet downhill.
Weather
Overcast, mid-20s F, mostly calm to light winds through 2:30p. Started to snow at 2:00p, but not enough to accumulate.
Snow surface
All the different flavors of wind effects, from soft tender wind skins a few inches thick to very firm slab that you could barely kick an edge into for a skintrack.
Snowpack
No pit or formal instability tests performed.
We took lots of opportunities to kick and stomp on the various wind pockets. Generally found that the more exposed areas at higher elevation held firmer and thicker wind slab that was completely unreactive. The more protected areas harbored softer and thinner wind slabs that would break under our skis but not further.
Couple inch thick softer slab that broke under our skis around a kickturn.
Crossing over a couple day old natural release of wind slab that broke but did not travel more than a few feet, 2,600’ - East aspect.
Another glide avalanche on Gilpatrick S.
Glide on the southern end of the southeast face of Summit Mtn., sometime in the past week.