Pro Field Report

Basic Information

Observation Details

Observation Date:
November 26, 2022
Submitted:
November 27, 2022
Observer:
SAC - VandenBos (off duty)
Zone or Region:
Galena Summit and Eastern Mtns
Location:
Owl Creek (7,100-9,500', primarily northern half of compass)

Signs of Unstable Snow

Recent Avalanches? 
None Observed
Cracking? 
None Experienced
Collapsing? 
None Experienced

Snow Stability

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

Advanced Information

Weather Summary

Cloud Cover:
Partly Cloudy
Wind:
Light , NW
New/Recent Snowfall:
2-4cm new from 11/22 "storm"

Air temps were significantly cooler tha past few days, ambient air temps stayed around/below freezing (estimated).

Avalanche Observations

 #  Date Location Size Type Bed Sfc Depth Trigger Photos Details
1 Nov 10, 2022
(+/- 1 week) 		Owl Creek
NE 8600ft 		D1.5 SS-Soft Slab I-New/Old Interface 1.5ft N-Natural
Looking down the path of a natural avalanche above Owl Creek in the Smoky Mountains. This slope faces N/NW at 8,600'. This appears to have occurred during the tail end of the early November storms.
Looking across the crown of a natural avalanche above Owl Creek in the Smoky Mountains. This slope faces N/NW at 8,600'. This appears to have occurred during the tail end of the early November storms.
Report
Owl Creek

I did not observe any avalanches other than the slide reported here.

Snowpack Observations

My goals were to look at the snowpack in this area and to search for the avalanche that was reported in this drainage on 11/13/22.

The snowpack here is similar to much of what has been observed across our fx area: A very weak upper snowpack has developed during the extended November drought. On slopes that face away from the sun a thick, weak pile of facets exists at the surface. Wrapping around to warmer aspects one finds a variety of crusts+facets. I did not encounter any due south slopes but I suspect in places the crust is thick enough that it is ski supportable, at least at middle elevations, but probably not reliably so. I searched for buried SH and found it in an irregular distribution. Some slopes held standing 5-10mm SH buried by 2-4cm of snow. In others, the SH had fallen over or was absent. There was also a spotty coat of SH on top of the current snow surface that must have developed in the past few days. Where I saw this it was 5-10mm in size and still standing, but there wasn't a ton of it. The impact of the sustained inversions was less noticeable here than further south in the WRV and further north near Smiley Creek.

I dug a few pits as I climbed, all of which were on cold/shaded aspects. I found October snow at the base of the snowpack in all of my pits, beginning near the valley floor. In all pits (and the crown of the avalanche) this layer had some icy snow glued to the ground, occasionally with just a touch of moisture to it. Above this layer were some well-developed FC/DH crystal 2-4mm in size. The appearance of this layer got progressively worse as I climbed. In my highest pit and adjacent to the avalanche crown the DH grains were cupped, striated, and chained. I received ECTNs with moderate to hard force and ECTXs on this layer in my stability tests. I performed two CPSTs at my highest pit (8,900' on N/NW aspect), both of which yielded END results in the mid 30s/100. The slab was very degraded by faceting.

Avalanche Problems

Problem Location Distribution Sensitivity Size Comments
Persistent Slab
Isolated
Specific
Widespread
 Unknown
D1
D1.5
D2
D2.5
D3
D3.5
D4
D4.5
D5
 Weak Layer(s): Nov 1, 2022 (FC)
Comments: Rose shaded based on where this layer is expected to be at its worst, though there is a fair amount of uncertainty regarding the character of this layer due to limited observations.
Wind Slab
Isolated
Specific
Widespread
Unreactive
Stubborn
Reactive
Touchy
D1
D1.5
D2
D2.5
D3
D3.5
D4
D4.5
D5
 Comments: Thin, stiff wind drifts were present in exposed terrain. These appeared to be relatively recently formed (past 3-5 days), and were unreactive.