| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | Yes |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | Yes |
Observation: Portage / Placer
Location: Skookum
Rode out Skookum to check on motorized area signage.
Obvious signs of instability
Observer Comments
Many natural dry loose slides on steep slopes of surrounding peaks. Many steep banks along the river had already slid. Small steep slopes that we rode up or next to would slide or produce shooting cracks. Whoomphing further up the valley by the glacier would shake nearby alders.
Weather
Very little visibility at the start of the day due to snow. Weather quickly burnt off and went mostly clear and sunny. Temperature at the car before we left was 17F further up the valley by the glacier temperatures were noticeably warmer.
Snow surface
50-60cm of fresh powder from this storm. 50cm of snow closer to the road, out closer to the glacier increased to 60cm of snow. New snow fell undisturbed by wind.
Snowpack
We dug in the flats out Skookum so no data from elevations above sea level. In our pits the 50-60cm of new snow is sitting on small 1mm advanced facets. Total snow depth was 200cm, we dug down to expose the new/old snow interface. Pit 1 yielded failures at the new/old snow interface, results were CTV, CT1, and ECTP11.
Pit 2 in a nearby location yielded no results as the storm snow was not cohesive enough to act as a slab.
Shooting cracks caused by snowmachine
Steep rollover started to slide as snowmachine rode down it
Snowmachine triggered pockets either side of the track
Getting a snowmachine unstuck remote triggered nearby steep rollovers.
Storm snow started to slide down steep slope.
Dry loose point releases on steep slopes, old ski tracks from before this storm.
More dry loose point releases
Old avalanche debris along with new point releases on steeper slopes
Photo of pit wall. 60cm of new storm snow over old faceted snow.
Small 1mm facets at the new/old snow interface