Pro Field Report

Basic Information

Observation Details

Observation Date:
April 21, 2023
Submitted:
April 23, 2023
Observer:
SAC - VandenBos (off duty)
Zone or Region:
Banner Summit
Location:
Meadow Creek (6,600-9,000', primarily northern half of compass)

Signs of Unstable Snow

Recent Avalanches? 
Yes
Cracking? 
Isolated
Collapsing? 
None Experienced

Snow Stability

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

Media/Attachments

Crown of an avalanche that was intentionally triggered by a skier on 4/21 in the Banner Summit forecast zone.
Debris from an avalanche that was intentionally triggered by a skier on 4/21 in the Banner Summit forecast zone.

Advanced Information

Weather Summary

Cloud Cover:
Mostly Cloudy
Wind:
Moderate , NW
New/Recent Snowfall:
HN24 = 3-5cm

Mix of sun and clouds, with periods of direct sunshine and periods of grey-out conditions. Gusty, intermittent winds blowing at moderate speeds out of the W/NW

Avalanche Observations

 #  Date Location Size Type Bed Sfc Depth Trigger Comments Photo
1 Meadow Creek
N 8900 		D1.5 SS AS-Skier
c-Intentional 		I intentionally triggered a small slab in steep terrain. It broke 30 feet wide, 3-12 inches deep.
Crown of an avalanche that was intentionally triggered by a skier on 4/21 in the Banner Summit forecast zone.

In addition to the slide I intentionally triggered I observed a few crowns looking north that appeared to be recent as well. These failed on SE aspects, up to about 1 foot deep, and up to around 100 feet wide. I suspect these were failing above a crust, based on their location, but I only looked at them from afar.

Snowpack Observations

On solars, new snow over the past few days has been cooking on about as quickly as it has been accumulating. On shaded slopes there were 30+cm of cold, dry snow sitting on top of a stout surface formed during the heatwave.

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
 Comments: I could see a fair amount of wind affected terrain that looked like it had a slabby nature.

Terrain Use

I would have been comfortable in most avalanche terrain before the wind event from this day redistributed snow and built slabs. I chose to avoid some steeper pieces of terrain after the wind did its work.