Valdez Snow Observations
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Route: Skinned from the car up Abercrombie Gulch. Skinned and booted to the ridge overlooking Sulphide Gulch immediately NW of the point on the topo labelled 4243. Skied down into Sulphide and then out to the pipeline. Skinned and skied back to the car.
Obervation: Massive debris piles starting on all aspects at all elevations. Small and medium debris piles also well represented. Most of these appear at least 2 days old. Debris from one slide buried the pipeline up to 20 feet deep – see attached picture.
Another buried the start of the Comstock skintrack, running into the flats. These were nowhere near the scale of some of the carnage along today’s route. It appears that most of the big slides from last week’s storm have already naturaled. I witnessed one small sun caused point release today, and I’m sure many more will occur later in the day. For this area I wouldn’t expect big slides from the storm snow anymore. The next round of impressive avalanches will likely be sun caused slides breaking deeper into the snowpack, but these will be staggered over a longer time frame, based on aspect and elevation, than the storm slides.
There was only a superficial refreeze near sea level, but it quickly developed into a meaningful refreeze once I started gaining elevation.
I would echo everything in the bulletin about avoiding steep sunny slopes. In particular, note that it’s hard to do this when the sun is out for 18 hours a day.
Conditions: Spring snow, frozen on the way up and softening on the way down. I found a little bit of settled powder northeast facing above 3500′. Sunny. Abercrombie was windy above 2000′, which I wasn’t expecting. Calm everywhere else.
Thanks Aaron for the report, photo and analysis.
Route: Skinned from the car up the pipeline, between Square Rock and Mt Francis, to the lines that drop into Sulphide Gulch. Skied down one of the chutes, booted up the other side, and skied down. Skied out Sulphide, then skinned and skied back to the car.
Observation: Numerous sun based point releases. None of them in this neighborhood were gouging down deeper or propagating – all smallish point releases. Some of them were running a long way, but nothing deep. The overnight refreeze was more substantial than I expected. I’d rate danger for this and similar areas on Sunday as starting low, rising to considerable as the sun softens things up. There was less heat related damage in this area than at the same time last year.
Conditions: Classic spring snow. Starting frozen, softening up as the day progresses. Fast travel. Saw many and diverse animal tracks. If the weather is as predicted, an early start could let a person ski some fun lines. I would entirely avoid meaningful south faces.
Aaron,
We’ve really appreciated your taking the time this winter to post your observations and analyses. In fact, we’ve appreciated all who have done so as it helps us provide a more accurate public bulletin. Please keep doing so.
Pete Carter
Route: skinned from the car over Benzene ridge, across Allison Lake. Skinned, booted, and skied two lines off the 42xx peak a couple miles south of Snowdome. Skied and skinned back to the car.
Observation: I witnessed a couple of minor cornice breaks and several point releases caused by the sun. Otherwise stability was excellent. I could not get anything moving on any aspect or any slope angle. In areas that experience a refreeze, I would expect the danger to start at low on Saturday, rising rapidly through considerable or high as the sun lights things up.
Conditions: All over the place. Settled powder, windboard, breakable crust, spring snow. The wind was very mild in this drainage until getting at or near the ridge.
Route: A couple laps in the Embick-Comstock bowl.
Observation: Some naturals in the new snow. No naturals in this area propogated much, and there was less natural activity than I sometimes see around here. New snow wasn’t perfectly bonded to old snow, but empirical testing yielded no slides or sluffs. The wind was picking up as the day went along, and if this continues wind slab formation could increase. There was some, but not widespread windslab formation while I was out there. For this area and similar spots around town I would echo the forecast for tomorrow of moderate, emphasizing (as in the forecast) that the danger will rise quickly on sun affected slopes, or with increased windslab formation.
Conditions: Mostly sunny, fun powder in the bowl, moving into variable conditions but still some powder lower down. If the wind doesn’t eat things up, a person could likely enjoy some of the better lines in this area tomorrow. Of course, don’t take my word for it, do your own assessment as you go.
From “peter Inglis on April 9, 2013 at 11:14 pm said:”
4/9/13 We dug a Snow profile at 3269 ft utm 06V0566834/6779359 above DOT near 27 mi glacier, 50 ft below lateral moraine, N aspect, 34deg, From Top 0-3cm Fist, 3-14 4F, 14-38 1 F, 38-53 1F+, 53-57 1F, 57 and down 1f going to P and K. HS 340m +, CTM Q2/RP at 34 cm may be interface with old and new storm snow?, interesting weak layer 53-57 with CTM at 56cm Q2/RP. Sky obscure to broken thru day. Lots of new wind and storm slab which was not quite as reactive as we would have expected. Here is a photo of our profile.
pcarter
on April 10, 2013 at 5:01 am said:
Thank you Peter, Constantine and team. Please keep us posted with your tracking of the deeper weaknesses and our 20130407 storm snow interface.
4/10/13 1430hr. Pit dug on tour up towards Girls mt from mi 29. Elev 3980, E SE aspect, slope 30 deg, air 17deg F, wind S/ moderate to strong on ridge top.
Top to -4 cm Pencil hard wind crust, 4-23cm 4Finger recent storm snow, Failure CTEQ2/RP with in new storm snow, 23-24cm Knife hard MF crust?, 24-28cm 1 finger failed CTMQ2/RP, 28cm-58 pencil hard and then getting harder.
Not much good skiing. Wind has hammered anything not protected or more northerly.
Reports that the portside 40″ since Sunday is slabby and wants to move on surfaces that were suncrusted. Danger rising! Don’t dally under the large paths near town and Mineral Creek.
Large cornice release! Tsaina valley/Hoodoo, 6,500′ Couloir Town NNE aspect. 25% of cornice fell (2 school buses) on to unsupported 40 degree slope which took all the newer snow with it 2,000′, but did not propogate or step down into older or deep snow layers.
Thanks Rhett. I like your questions.