Sawtooth Avalanche Center

Pro Field Report

Basic Information

Observation Details

Observation Date:
March 15, 2020
Submitted:
March 15, 2020
Observer:
SAC - Martin Stefan
Zone or Region:
Soldier and Wood River Valley Mtns
Location:
Triple Peaks

Signs of Unstable Snow

Recent Avalanches? 
None Observed
Cracking? 
Isolated
Collapsing? 
None Experienced
Isolated cracking close to ridgelines.

Snow Stability

Stability Rating: 
Good
Confidence in Rating: 
Low
Stability Trend: 
Improving

Bottom Line

About 4-6" of new snow, already getting moist everywhere except very sheltered, true north aspects. I found a few reactive wind slabs close to ridgelines, but got no collapses and very little cracking. For the most part supportable crust on facet stack underneath. I could see potential for wet loose slides in the afternoon and kicked a few rollerballs, but could not see any activity when glassing the surroundings.
Surprisingly good skiing.

Advanced Information

Weather Summary

Cloud Cover:
Mostly Sunny
Wind:
Light , SW

Hst 10-15cm. At noon skies were BKN but cleared by 1300. Warm temps and a very light SW wind at the summit. Fresh snow was getting plenty of radiation, and I could get a few rollerballs going on W facing slopes by 1500.

Snowpack Observations

Around 10cm of new snow at lower elevations, increasing to 15cm above 7000'. On everything else than true north or tree-shaded terrain the new snow was already moist. There is a clear density inversion mid-Hst, but I cannot see it persisting for long.
Isolated windslabs along ridgelines did not extend more than 10m down, did produce some shooting cracks.
Generally poor bonding to underlying MFcr, but not much wind slabs at the elevations I traveled. I could see the potential for loose wet slides on steeper terrain, and I did get a few roller balls going.

Straight west are mostly burned off, NW still hold dry FC under supportable MFcr above 7000'. Boot pen to gnd for the most part.
HS 40-100cm on N-NW aspects.

There is a fairly widespread 2-4cm MFcr+ F hard FCsf combo on most N-NW aspects except the most sheltered ones (where it is just stack of facets instead) that was surprisingly reactive in tests, ECTPs in the low single digits and PST10/100(end), but I got no collapses or shooting cracks on it.

Avalanche Problems

Problem Location Distribution Sensitivity Size Comments
Wind Slab
Isolated
Specific
Widespread
Unreactive
Stubborn
Reactive
Touchy
D1
D1.5
D2
D2.5
D3
D3.5
D4
D4.5
D5
Layer Depth/Date: 20-30cm, 3/14
Comments: I never entered true upper elevation terrain, the wind slabs I observed were confined to close proximity to ridgelines

Terrain Use

I closed all wind loaded avalanche terrain