Public Field Report
Observation Details
Observation Date:
April 6, 2020Submitted:
April 6, 2020Zone or Region:
Galena Summit and Eastern MtnsActivity:
Skiing/SnowboardingLocation:
Titus PeakObserved Avalanches
Did you observe any avalanches?
YesAvalanche Type:
Soft SlabSize:
Size 2: Could bury, injure, or kill a personElevation:
9800 ftAspect:
NComments:
Observed these slab avalanches on Titus Peak and numerous other point releases from Titus Ridge today. They all looked relatively fresh - can’t tell if the slab avalanches on Titus Peak broke within the new snow or on the persistent weak layer of near surface facets.Photo:
Signs of Unstable Snow
Did you see shooting cracks?
NoDid you experience collapsing or whumpfing?
Yes, IsolatedObservations
There was about 4-5 inches of new snow on the summit this morning - moist at the top of the summit and a bit dryer as you climbed the ridge. Very little to no wind transport occurring while I was out there. When I started my tour, it was lightly snowing with the occasional poking through of the sun - poor visibility overall. Storm picked up as I was on my way out - I’d estimate somewhere between S1 and S2 snowfall. I dug down on a due N aspect at 9700 feet just down the ridge from the Titus Lake chutes. Performed 2 ECTs, with neither of them yielding propagating results. Personally, I still don’t trust the current layer of near surface facets, but perhaps it is gaining some strength? HS was 155 cm at my pit location. Whenever the sun poked through and hit solar aspects, the new snow was almost instantaneously point releasing - lots of debris in between Titus Lake peak and weather station peak. I made the plan before starting to avoid avalanche terrain, given the additional load and recent avalanche activity.
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