Pro Field Report

Basic Information

Observation Details

Observation Date:
February 12, 2022
Submitted:
February 13, 2022
Observer:
SAC - VandenBos (off duty)
Zone or Region:
Galena Summit and Eastern Mtns
Location:
Eagle Creek (6,300-10,200', primarily SW-S-SE)

Signs of Unstable Snow

Recent Avalanches? 
None Observed
Cracking? 
None Experienced
Collapsing? 
None Experienced

Snow Stability

Stability Rating: 
Very Good
Confidence in Rating: 
Moderate
Stability Trend: 

Bottom Line

A mild day, but it never became hot enough for wet loose avalanche problems in the terrain I was in.

Advanced Information

Weather Summary

Cloud Cover:
Clear
Wind:
Light , NW
New/Recent Snowfall:
zip

Clear skies all day. Light to moderate winds in the morning, decreasing through the day, becoming calm with occasional light "gusts" by the end of the day. Temperatures were mild, but never hot.

Avalanche Observations

I observed a few D1 wet loose dribblers near the valley bottom in the morning, these likely failed sometime on Thursday, based on the pattern of other observed activity. I also observed the crown of a slide on the W Fk of Trail Creek side of the headwall that failed in a heavily wind-loaded location. I'm unsure how old this is. I did not see the debris, but based on the size of the crown it was probably a solid D2.

Snowpack Observations

No formal obs, just moving surface observations. The snowpack had refrozen solidly on all slopes that I traveled on. Similarly to what I've seen on the north side of the pass, there is an ambient temperature melt-freeze crust that likely failed during the day on Wednesday (2/9 crust). However, on this side of the pass it only extends up to about 6,800' or so and is much less pronounced. Surfaces on SE were starting to soften by mid-morning, providing good corn skiing on SE at ~11:30 and holding up through at least 13:00 or so. I moved to SW later in the afternoon (15:45) and found good, supportable corn skiing there as well. At the end of my day I ventured into some steeper SW-W facing terrain at middle elevation to try to get a sense for if wet loose had become a problem here. The ski quality was a bit compromised (ski pen 15cm or so) but I was unable to get any snow moving, even on rocky slopes with a shallow snowpack. All in all, the snowpack I observed held up well to the warming and wet snow problems did not become an issue. On the exit, flat terrain had softened significantly but was not wet.

Avalanche Problems

I was watching for wet loose problems but these never became an issue. I think it would have taken some very specific terrain for this to be a problem today.

Terrain Use

Terrain use was dictated by ski quality, not avalanche hazard.