Pro Field Report

Basic Information

Observation Details

Observation Date:
March 14, 2022
Submitted:
March 15, 2022
Observer:
SAC - VandenBos
Zone or Region:
Galena Summit and Eastern Mtns
Location:
Horton (6,900-9,900', primarily western half of the compass)

Signs of Unstable Snow

Recent Avalanches? 
Yes
Cracking? 
None Experienced
Collapsing? 
Isolated
Avalanches observed refers to numerous storm, wind slab, and dry and wet loose avalanches observed across the valley in the Sawtooths and Western Smokys. I experienced a few collapses at upper elevations on recently loaded low-angle ridgelines. These were small and did not travel far, it felt like the upper crust was collapsing into faceted snow underneath.

Snow Stability

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

Advanced Information

Weather Summary

Cloud Cover:
Mostly Sunny
Wind:
Moderate , W
New/Recent Snowfall:
10-12cm

Day started clear, with some bands of high clouds building by mid-morning. These seemed thickest in the area around Galena Pass. To the north, the Sawtooths and Banner Summit area received lots of direct sun throughout the day. Winds were calm to light at upper elevations, blowing out of the W. Cloud cover thickened starting around 1630 and skies were mostly cloudy to overcast by 1730.

Avalanche Observations

I observed dozens of debris piles from small (D1-1.5) mid-storm slabs and loose snow avalanches in the Sawtooths. Most of these appeared to have occurred during the day on Sunday. As the day warmed I was able to make out dozens of small (D1-1.5) wet loose avalanches across the valley in the Sawtooths. I did not see any wet loose avalanches that were D2 in size.

Snowpack Observations

My main goal was to get up high and look for avalanche activity that occurred during Sunday's storm and to see how much of an issue the wet snow problem became. Observations are reported above.

On Horton I found 10-12cm of new snow. On any slope that faced towards the sun (WSW-S-SSE) the new snow had been cooked down into a supportable crust. This limited the wet loose problem in the terrain I was in. On solar margins (W and SE) there was a mix of crusts and precipitation particles (and likely some small facets). Above about 8,800' I found a layer of densely grown 5-10mm standing SH on the surface, which will get buried in Tuesday's storm if the wind doesn't get to it first.

Avalanche Problems

I did not directly encounter any avalanche problem, but I wasn't traveling in terrain steep enough to host one.

Terrain Use

I skied non-avalanche terrain for simplicity. The presence of weak layers in the upper portion of the snowpack continues to drive my terrain selection, it would be nice to actually get a big storm to sort out how much of a problem these are or aren't.