| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | Yes |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | Yes |
Observation: Hatcher Pass
Location: Presidents Ridge and Road observations
On Wednesday we drove up the road which was not plowed, got stuck at the top of mile 16, and toured up the lower South ridge of Marmot. Many of our tests failed on isolation. Limited visibility inhibited our ability to see any natural avalanches Most obs from this day can be seen in Thursday’s forecast.
Today, we toured up president’s ridge to check on stability. Also drove up the road to see if any natural avalanches from the most recent storm could be observed.
Obvious signs of instability
Observer Comments
Collapsing and cracking occurred while traveling today. Cracking/collapsing was most prevalent at mid elevations in areas with vegetation. One large collapse occurred on Presidents ridge around 3750';. All collapsing/cracking occurred after several people had traveled over the spot on the skin track.
Several Natural avalanches were observed or reported through out the forecast area.
Weather
Winds remained calm throughout the day today and no signs of active wind transport were observed. Broken sky in the morning began to clear as day progressed. With the clearing temps began to drop throughout our tour.
Snow surface
HP received approximately 2" of SWE and 18-20"; of new snow 12/5-12/6. The snow came in right side up with a rain crust mid storm that is buried 30-40cm deep.
We observed smooth snow surfaces and low density snow for most of our tour today. Evidence of old wind effect could be observed in some areas but didn't affect ski quality. Rocks are still lurking below the surface in some areas.
Snowpack
The rain crust could be felt 12 inches below the surface up to 3900' feet.
12/5-6 South face of Marmot 4200'
12/5-6 NW aspect Divide Rodge 3000'
N aspect south face of marmot. avalanche likely occurred on 12/5-6
12/8 south face of skyscraper- photo Dan Amyot
Debris off south face of Skyscraper, likely from 12/5-6. Photo Dan Amyot
12/8 Debris off marmot SW face
12/8 Marmot Dry loose