| Trigger | Natural | Remote Trigger | 0 |
| Avalanche Type | Soft Slab | Aspect | West |
| Elevation | 2500ft | Slope Angle | 36deg |
| Crown Depth | 4in | Width | 30ft |
| Vertical Run | 150ft |
Avalanche: Summit
Location: Tenderfoot Ridge
Standard Tenderfoot uptrack to first knob above treeline (~2,500′). Observation is from Saturday, December 17.
Avalanche Details
Numerous natural avalanches observed around Summit Lake - all on W-SW aspects and believed to have released sometime during the Dec. 15-16th storm. Bed surface was a 2mm crust that formed during the dry spell. This crust was observed on all aspects, at all elevations in advance of the storm.
Obvious signs of instability
| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | Yes |
Observer Comments
Small, shallow, touchy wind slabs in obviously loaded areas.
Weather
Clearing skies throughout the day, calm winds. 30*F at the lodge in the morning, dropping to 20* by sunset.
Snow surface
4-6" unconsolidated powder (in leeward areas, localized soft wind slabs >1' deep were observed)
Snowpack
Melt-freeze grains on the ground giving way to facets, capped with the aforementioned 2mm crust, now topped with 4-8" new powder. The shallow snowpack here got pretty hosed with the dry spell. Snow depth quite variable - 4-6" near ridges, over 3' in protected areas lower down.
Tenderfoot W shoulder crown
Tenderfoot W shoulder crown, showing slick bed surface
Natural avalanche on similar aspect, (cross-loaded) shoulder of Butch, ~3,500'