Sawtooth Avalanche Center

Public Field Report

Observation Details

Observation Date:
December 26, 2022
Submitted:
December 26, 2022
Zone or Region:
Soldier and Wood River Valley Mtns
Activity:
Skiing/Snowboarding
Location:
Proctor

Signs of Unstable Snow

Did you see shooting cracks? 
No
Did you experience collapsing or whumpfing? 
Yes, Isolated

Observations

Happy 6th day of Winter (more like spring?). Toured around proctor area, skins started glopping about a mile in and we applied some skin wax at about 1300. The snow was very heavy both on the way up and down. Saw evidence from the past wind event on 12.21, some old cracking on the SE side of the ridge we climbed up. Got a whoomph on the ridge while climbing up. We dug down on the ridge and found a 57cm deep SNPX (the bottom 20cms being rotten facets with the snow sitting on top not much harder about F+). We dug about 20' to the right on the wind loaded side of the ridge and found a much deeper SNPX, with a pencil hard at the surface with a steady gradient down to fist facet snow at the bottom.

P6,700' : North : 20° : 1400 (we got the following results)
CT16SP @68cm
PST 45/100 END @31cm
CT21RP @25cm
ECT P18 @5cm

Media

Roller balls release : ~7,400' : NW : 30°-35° : sometime before 1400.
Sage poking through : 6,200' : SW : <20°