Observation: Hatcher Pass

Location: Rae Wallace Chutes

Date:
Observer:
Samson Shepherd
Route & General Observations

Skinned up standard Marmot uptrack and then back along the ridge to get to the Rae Wallace Chutes. Conditions seemed super stable on my way over, and everything in the shade (the chutes) skied great, with a mindful eye on your sluff. On my way back along the Marmot ridge, I experience big whumpfs and large shoot cracks on the big sun exposed slopes that you can see from the road. Same SE aspects as the 12/28/18 Hatch Peak avalanche, were the ones being reactive. As soon as I crossed over to a SW side of a gully, the whumpfing/shooting cracks stopped.

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?No
Collapsing (Whumphing)?Yes
Cracking (Shooting cracks)?Yes
Observer Comments

Whumpfing and shooting cracks on SE aspects.

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

Clear and surprisingly warm. Some sort of inversion, or maybe it's just being in the glorious winter sun. No wind.

Location


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