Avalanche Occurrence

General Information

Observer:

SAC Forecaster

Verified by SAC?

Yes

Occurrence Date:

Nov 10, 2022 (+/- 1 week)

Location:

Owl Creek

Comments:

This slide was first reported by a public observer on 11/13. They reported that it appeared "old" at that point, so likely had occurred sometime during the early November storm set. There was only ~10cm of new snow on the bed surface.

Avalanche Characteristics

Comments:

Characteristics are as the slide appeared when I (Ben) visited it on 11/26, at least two weeks after the avalanche. The slide failed near the ground, on a thin pile of faceted snow (was well-developed DH by 11/26, probably FCsf when it avalanched). The faceted snow was sitting on a stiff, icy crust that was well glued to the ground. Its hard to say with much confidence how large the slide was, but it did pile debris several feet deep against trees not far downslope from the crown. Regardless of size, this slide is important as it points to a broad pattern of instability involving the late-October snow. The starting zone is fairly exposed to NW winds, and wind likely played a role here, but the consistent crown height and wide propagation point to the involvement of a fairly well-developed weak layer.

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