Sawtooth Avalanche Center

Public Field Report

Observation Details

Observation Date:
May 6, 2023
Submitted:
May 8, 2023
Zone or Region:
Galena Summit and Eastern Mtns
Activity:
Skiing/Snowboarding
Location:
Galena Peak

Triggered Avalanches

Did you trigger any avalanches? 
Yes
Was it intentional? 
No
Avalanche Type:
Wet Loose
Size:
Size 1: Relatively harmless to people
Elevation:
Upper
Aspect:
W
Comments:
We triggered shallow wet loose avalanches at the new-old interface. These ran 50ft at most.

Signs of Unstable Snow

None reported

Observations

We found no hard refreeze, even at 11,000ft, and wet snow throughout all aspects and elevations we toured. However, at mid and upper elevations we still found supportable (if sloppy) conditions.

We triggered small, shallow loose wet slides of new saturated snow when skiing slopes around 40°. Though shallow and slow-moving, and manageable in the terrain we chose, these shallow slides were comprised of very heavy, pushy snow and would be of concern in no-fall zones. While we only saw movement at the new-old interface, with sufficient mass it seems possible for these shallow slides of new snow to gouge into old snow that has not refrozen well or at all in recent days.
Many cornices have already fallen, but some large, potentially dangerous cornices remain.