Sawtooth Avalanche Center

Avalanche Occurrence

General Information

This large natural avalanche occurred in the SW bowl of Galena Peak. It likely ran on the interface between the old snow and the recent storm snow, which consists of a facet/crust layer on some steep, sunny slopes. 10,500', SW. Photo: T. Haskins

Observer:
SAC Forecaster

Verified by SAC?
Yes

Occurrence Date:
Jan 5, 2022 (+/- 1 day)

Location:
Galena Peak - SW Bowl

Comments:

Ran sometime mid-storm (update: Savage reports he could see debris from this on evening of 1/6, estimated it happened on 1/5). I couldn't safely approach the crown, best guess is it ran on either 1/3 or 12/12-22-24 MFcr+FC.

Avalanche Characteristics

# of Avys:
1
Aspect:
SW (S,SW)
Start Zone Elev:
10500ft
Size:
D3
Type:
HS-Hard Slab
Trigger:
N-Natural
Weak Layer:
Jan 3, 2022 (MFcr)

Media

This large natural avalanche occurred in the SW bowl of Galena Peak. It likely ran on the interface between the old snow and the recent storm snow, which consists of a facet/crust layer on some steep, sunny slopes. 10,500', SW. Photo: T. Haskins