I observed two large avalanches in the E Fork of the Big Wood. I observed small slab avalanches on Della (E and N faces) and near the mouth of Deer Ck. There was very little wind affect at the top of "The Burn" on Bald Mtn. Passing clouds in the afternoon kept periods of direct sunshine fairly short.
Light wind shifted from SW to NW around 2 PM. It was partly to mostly cloudy. Scrappy clouds clung to mountain tops as short squalls brought moderate gusts and bouts of snow.
# | Date | Location | Size | Type | Bed Sfc | Depth | Trigger | Photos | Details |
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1 |
Mar 1, 2023 (+/- 1 day) |
E Fork Big Wood - Minebender paths NW 8600ft |
D2 | SS-Soft Slab | I-New/Old Interface | N-Natural |
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I had intermittent views into some start zones in Quigley, Croy, Indian Ck, Deer Ck, and near Morgan Ridge.
Today was a quick glassing mission along the WRV corridor, including Croy to Rotarun, Indian Ck to Triumpf, and from the top of the Bald Mtn out of bounds (The Burn).
I found right-side-up storm snow past the rope at the top of The Burn with very little wind affect. Hand pits and pole pokes revealed storm snow over a thin 10-15 cm wind (or skier compacted?) slab atop very weak facets. The storm slab was still F throughout and lacked any strength.
Numerous tracks were dipping into the top of start zones all along The Burn from Christmas Eve to Bruce's. It was hard to tell how many skied further down the track but it appeared that at least some did.
Problem | Location | Distribution | Sensitivity | Size | Comments |
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Layer Depth/Date: 50-75 cm Comments: Shaded where expected. Some slabs exist on cross-loaded slopes at middle and lower elevations, particularly along mouths of main drainages. |
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Layer Depth/Date: 30-50 cm Comments: Shaded where expected. Very little snow on middle and lower elevation sunny slopes from Baldy south. the new/old interface is obviously touchy, but any triggered slide seems like it has the distinct possibility to step down or gouge into weaker snow closer to the ground. |
Solo travel. I did not enter out of bounds avalanche terrain.