Public Field Report
Observation Details
Observation Date:
January 20, 2020Submitted:
January 20, 2020Zone or Region:
Galena Summit and Eastern MtnsActivity:
Skiing/SnowboardingLocation:
Pioneers - Hyndman BasinObserved Avalanches
Did you observe any avalanches?
YesAvalanche Type:
Hard SlabSize:
Size 2: Could bury, injure, or kill a personElevation:
AlpineAspect:
SWComments:
Small avalanche ran on a wind loaded ridge above the N. Fork Hyndman drainage (viewed from far distance)Signs of Unstable Snow
Did you see shooting cracks?
NoDid you experience collapsing or whumpfing?
Yes, IsolatedObservations
A thin and variable snowpack exists in the Pioneers. Any exposed ridgelines/saddles were hammered by wind in the last week. Surprised to see minimal avalanche activity from the last storm cycle given the recent snow and wind loading, but most of the high ridges had been stripped bare. Decent skiing Saturday/Sunday in areas sheltered from the wind. However, many of the same areas had a thin sun crust on Monday that developed on solar aspects after a warm, sunny day and cool, clear night. Strong sun and warm temps also caused a few rollerballs to form on rocky south-facing slopes. A quick snow pit in the upper basin showed multiple generations of wind slabs from the last storm cycle. The wind slabs seemed mostly unreactive at this point, but got one collapse on a pencil-hard wind slab on an exposed saddle.
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