A weak, unstable snowpack exists in the headwaters of the Salmon River. Natural and human triggered avalanches will be likely with additional loading and may be triggered remotely, from a distance above, below, and to the sides of steeper slopes.
Occasional S-1 flurries, with no significant accumulation, 1-2cm throughout the day at most. Variable cloud cover, from broken to obscured.
# | Date | Location | Size | Type | Bed Sfc | Depth | Trigger | Comments | Photo |
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5 |
Smiley Creek N 8,800-9,300 |
D2 | SS | O-Old Snow | N-Natural | Observed a number of D1-D2 slides on the northerly quarter of the compass. Based on crown depth, some slides appeared to be failing on 12/7 and others on 11/26. Stability tests pointed to 11/26 as the more problematic layer. |
Lots of mid storm activity observed despite poor visibility. This is a snowpack that can make avalanches, and it is about to get tested by a sizable load of new snow.
Plenty of remnant snow from before Thanksgiving to create a significant persistent slab avalanche problem in this area.
Problem | Location | Distribution | Sensitivity | Size | Comments |
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Persistent Slab |
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Comments: DH buried 11/26 |
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Persistent Slab |
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Layer Depth/Date: 12/7 Comments: SH buried 12/7. Unreactive in snowpits, but worth keeping on the problem list until proven innocent |
Avoided avalanche terrain and the runouts below large paths. Chose to abort our mission to work on the Upper Vienna weather station due to persistent slab avalanche and remote triggering concerns.