| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | Yes |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | Yes |
Observation: Hatcher Pass
Location: Powder Pimple (off Sunnyside of Hatch), Lower Eldorado test slopes
Toured up to the 11/15 D1.5 human triggered avalanche on Powder Pimple to do a crown profile, assess snowpack stability and structure. We also did some slope testing and snowpack assessment on the Lower Eldorado test-slopes. Overall we found 4 lemons in the snowpack, weak strength, poor structure and we found propagation in almost every test.
Obvious signs of instability
Observer Comments
We observed one new avalanche today after numerous people skied a slope on the SW face of Marmot. We also observed numerous natural, human triggered and remotely triggered avys from 11/14-15. Throughout our tour today we consistently felt whumping with collapses near the base of the pack, approximately 1 to 2 ft deep. We also observed some shooting cracks on wind loaded slopes. We intentionally jumped on the top of a test slope today and got the weak layer to fail, whump as loud as any of us have ever heard, crack and propagate up to 1 meter deep, move 4" downhill (and stop) and approximately 50 ft to each side of us.
Weather
12pm
32 deg F at 3550'
34 deg F at 4500'
2pm
34 deg F at 3550'
38 deg F at 4500'
Calm to light winds from SE made it feel cooler than reported data at IM and Marmot.
No new precip since 11/14 storm.
Snow surface
No new snow since 11/14.
Snow surface consisted of graupel, partially decomposing low density snow, and some surface hoar.
Wind slabs were variable and patchy and mostly buried by 30 cm of soft snow. They are more exposed at ridgeline and upper elevation.
Snowpack
see pits
The crown near yesterday's human triggered avalanche varied from 20 to 70cm deep, had poor structure, low strength, and high propagation potential. The weak layer that failed in yesterday's avalanche was 1.5 to 2mm faceted snow that failed near the ground.
Lower eldo test slope Moist facets at the bottom of the pack and culprit weak layer
Lower eldo test slope We jumped on the slope and this crack initiated and propagated 4" downslope before stopping. The crack is the depth of my ski pole, about a meter!
Upper Eldo Bowl Natural 11/15?
D1.5 Powder Pimple avalanche 11/15 Crown 20-70 cm deep
11/16 Lower Eldo test slope Meter deep crack initiated from jumping on slope
11/15 Powder Pimple human triggered avy E/SE 40deg 20-70cm crown depth HS 70cm
Powder Pimple-16-Nov2022
Lower Eldo test slope-16-Nov2022
IMG_7750