| Trigger | Natural | Remote Trigger | Unknown |
| Avalanche Type | Unknown | Aspect | West |
| Elevation | 2300ft | Slope Angle | unknown |
| Crown Depth | 2ft | Width | unknown |
| Vertical Run | unknown |
Avalanche: Portage / Placer
Location: Placer Valley
Photos of several natural avalanches and one sled triggered slab that were passed along to the avalanche center. This is from the Squirrel Flats area that sits just above the Placer Valley. Photos all taken Thursday, January 4th, by Jeff Dennis. Thank you for getting us this info!
Avalanche Details
Many natural storm slab avalanches, likely occurred on Wednesday 1/3. Zoom in on the photos, most of the steeper rolls around 2,000-2,500' avalanched. They were on mostly south and west aspects. Slabs estimated at 2-3' deep and vary in width.
One smaller slab was triggered by a rider sidehilling, last photo.
Observer Comments
Recent avalanches.
Snow surface
18" of new heavy snow was reported at 1,500' and around 3' around 2,500'. This area saw more snow than Turnagain during the 1/3 storm.
Surface crust from the rain earlier up to 1,500' ish.
Snowpack
We know that the old snow surface became weak and faceted during the cold clear spell, and even has some surface hoar on top in places. Both these layers can cause a poor bond with new snow and produce avalanches like this. Therefore, it's likely that the new snow (2-3') won't bond as quickly as we'd like. Triggering similar slab avalanches could be easy to do for several days.
Comet Pk with many natural slab avalanches in the foreground. Photos by Jeff Dennis
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Snowmachine triggered slab in the trees