Observation: Hatcher Pass

Location: Rae Wallace Chutes, Marmot

Date:
Observer:
Route & General Observations

We noticed a large slab avalanche that went to ground in places in Rae Wallace Chutes, Marmot on a west aspect at ~4500′ this morning. The avalanche is believed to be natural, having occurred overnight or early this morning, as it was not visible yesterday at 8 pm. There is no obvious trigger such as a skier or cornice.

Red Flags
Red flags are simple visual clues that are a sign of potential avalanche danger. Please record any sign of red flags below.
Obvious signs of instability
Recent Avalanches?Yes
Collapsing (Whumphing)?No
Cracking (Shooting cracks)?No
Observer Comments

New large slab avalanche in west aspect of Rae Wallace Chutes, Marmot. This avalanche is believed to have occurred naturally sometime overnight or early this morning. There are no ski tracks entering into the crown or out of the debris from our vantage point at Independence Mine. The avalanche failed to ground in many places. The debris looks soft, and not wet. Cornice chunks are not visible and there is no visible track where a cornice tumbled down the slope to the avalanche location so we do not believe it is cornice triggered.

Weather & Snow Characteristics
Please provide details to help us determine the weather and snowpack during the time this observation took place.
Weather

Marmot weather station is showing temps briefly climbed above freezing at ridgetops yesterday to 33 F but froze hard overnight. Temps are rising again this morning to 31 F at ridgetops. Clear, sunny skies this morning in Hatcher Pass.

Photos & Video
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