Tons of people were out recreating on Sunday and Monday. Numerous lines were skied and snowmachined without incident. This is good information but avalanches are still occurring infrequently in isolated and extreme terrain. A few outlier avalanches occurred over the past week. One avalanche yesterday on upper Stairstep likely got more wind than reported on the 14th (Arkose winds are always stronger than Marmot) and looks like it failed on facets sitting on a smooth crust bed surface. More info to come.
Observation: Hatcher Pass
Location: Upper Stairstep, South face of Skyscraper, Eldorado
Did road obs to look at outlier slab avalanches and observed sluffs over the last couple days. Toured up Eldorado today with no red flags for instability on east or south aspects. This observation has photos of avalanches from the past 2 days.
Forecaster Comments
Observer Comments
Natural slab avalanche observed on Punk Spines on Sunday.
Human triggered avalanche on WNW aspect upper Stairstep on Sunday.
Numerous sluffs observed Sunday and Monday with largest being loose dry.
Weather
Temps: A low of 6deg F and a high of 15 degF at 4500'.
Calm winds
Snow surface
Observed surface hoar growing on the surface on east and north aspects today.
A brittle but skiable thin surface sun crust formed yesterday and could be felt today underfoot but only on steep south aspects.
2.17-18 Upper Mid Rib, Marmot
2.18 WNW 3900' Punk Spines, likely occurred on 2.17 mid storm
2.19 Human triggered slab 4200' WNW Upper Stairstep photo: Calvin Hall (same avalanche as below)
2.19 Human triggered slab 4200' WNW Upper Stairstep photo: Calvin Hall
2.20 Human triggered Dry loose sluffs NE aspect Eldorado Bowl 4300'
2.20 Sluffs on south aspect of Skyscraper 4000'
2.20 A couple small wet loose sluffs on south aspect of Eldorado Bowl SSE 4200''