Pro Field Report
Basic Information
Observation Details
Observation Date:
March 2, 2021Submitted:
March 2, 2021Observer:
SAC - Scott SavageZone or Region:
Galena Summit and Eastern MtnsLocation:
Galena Summit (Cross area: 8700-8900', W-NW-N and briefly on SE-S)Signs of Unstable Snow
Recent Avalanches?
YesCracking?
None ExperiencedCollapsing?
None ExperiencedBottom Line
Short field day looking at the snow with a professional avalanche class. Test scores still showing some signs of instability. Driving back south in the afternoon, I saw a handful of small natural wet loose slides that released late Tuesday afternoon (W-SW alpine slopes in the Boulders) and a couple of small wet loose slides that released today during the day (S-SE alpine, Saviers Peak). I also saw some fresh cornice fall in the Saviers Peak area, but it did not trigger a slide on the slope below.
Advanced Information
Weather Summary
Cloud Cover:
ClearTemperature:
30s FWind:
LightNew/Recent Snowfall:
No new snow.Nothing significant. A small crop of surface hoar grew in the past couple of nights.
Avalanche Observations
As noted in Bottom Line, some isolated natural wet loose activity late Tuesday afternoon and today. I left too early (2:30PM) to see the brunt of the sun/heat effects on SW-W aspects this afternoon.
Snowpack Observations
HS=145-160cm on N-NW near 8900', 5mm SH on surface
FC/DH low in the pack (top of 12/11=120cm down, around 40cm) showing gradual signs of improvement, mix of 1F and 4F in 12/11 FC layer, ECTX with propagation after hard kicks/non-standard loading (180cm wide column for test)
Well graded snowpack above 12/11 with P>>1F>>4F>>F
1/27=75cm down, presented as 0.5-1mm FC (ECTX x 2 with propagation both tests after hard kicks/non-standard loading)
2/11=50cm down, presented as small FC with SH shards (ECTX x 2 with propagation both tests after hard kicks/non-standard loading)
Avalanche Problems
| Problem | Location | Distribution | Sensitivity | Size | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Persistent Slab
|
|
Layer Depth/Date: 12/11=120cm down, 1/27=75cm down, 2/11=50cm down Weak Layer(s): Jan 27, 2021 (FCsf) Dec 11, 2020 (FCsf) Comments: Location rose indicates where we traveled. Other groups in the class sampled solar aspects. Propagating results in ECT tests with extreme , non-standard force. See above in Snowpack Observations section for test score specifics. |
No wind slabs where we traveled. Snow surfaces were moist on protected S-SE on exit, but we were not in steep enough terrain to truly assess presence/absence of wet loose concerns.
Terrain Use
The goals of the class were snowpack observations, so we did not consider traveling in avalanche terrain.