please read the comment made on 12/14/09. report from jewel basin. also, look at GCAC website. although the forecast is outdated, it still discusses the snowpack in different areas.
weather forecast is about as good as it gets. warmer air coming from the pacific with moisture could really give us some much needed snow and bulk. but it will also increase avy danger. just be careful, especially on open slopes.
just talked with patrol. west bowl will not open until a fair amount of snow has fallen. they need to be able to get a groomer down to the bottom of the chair, for rescue sake. we are probably 12-18 inches of new snow away from that being able to happen. i bet it is great in there though.
okay, love the comments. thanks for the report from the jewel. like to get more of that. see you out there.
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Chris, Thanx for putting the time into getting you blog going. Just a thought; When folks post about snow and avalanche conditions it might help if they would use there real world identities. This would offer a bit of legitimacy to ones statements and observations. It would help me in knowing who I am getting information from and how much validity it carries. It would aslo be helpful if folks were to follow some of the AAA (American Avalanche Association) guidelines in observing snow, weather, avalanche and testing guidelines. Don't get me wrong; I appreciate people taking the time to share information, but sometime it can be good, bad, in between, incomplete, misleading... so it would be nice to follow a standard when performing certain test and to know who is doing it. Even if folks haven't taken an avalanche awareness course of some kind all input and post are helpful. Cheerio, Brad.
ReplyDeleteGood point Brad Lamson... Ted Steiner, AKA-tedshred (in the really old days!) Um, I don't think I am going to get too techy on terminology on this page- I mean, C'mon!!.. In the words of cbm... Honestly, I can't even read this blog without a beer in hand- it's classic Miller... Chris, I love it...
ReplyDeleteNow, with that said, here's a recent incident from avalanche.org regarding a very lucky individual down south... Intresting- in regards to the group's perspective on conditions...
Date: 2009-12-12
Submitted By: UAC
Place: Cardiac Ridge, Big Cottonwood Canyon
State: UT
Country: USA
Summary: 1 skier caught, fully buried, and recovered
*** PRELIMINARY REPORT FROM THE UAC ***
Details from a telephone report to the Utah Avalanche Center. More details to follow as they become available.
A party of skiers were breaking a trail up east-facing Cardiac Ridge. As they neared the top of the ridge, they triggered an avalanche from below, which broke out about 100 feet above them. The avalanche caught the last skier on the up track, carried him down and buried him about 2.5 feet deep. The others responded immediately and as they approached with their beacons on receive, they saw the tip of a ski pole sticking out. They pulled on it and it was attached to his wrist. They reported to have dug him out in about a minute. His face was getting blue and he took a deep breath when they uncovered his face. He was recovered without injuries.
They reported that they felt several collapses previously but did not think there was enough snow to avalanche. The wind was blowing the snow near the ridge, so they assumed that it was a wind slab, which likely collapsed on the very weak faceted snow.
The slope was a shallow, rocky section of the broad, east facing ridge. They worked their way up the looker's right side of the slope. END.
Guess that's it for now, Glad you guys are all having fun out there... Maybe someday I'll go skiing... TED STEINER
Wow! All the big names are commenting now. Only a social media outlet where you can read a rant about parking at a ski area alongside multiple assessments of snowpack stability attracts the heavy commenters;) Strong work, Chris!
ReplyDeleteMy $0.02 on stability in keeping with the theme of this blog:
Location: USGS garage parking lot, West Glacier
Slope angle: 0.5 degrees
Cloud: 8/8, Snain <1cm/hr.
HS: DEEP!!! Maybe 25 cm.
Stability test results: ECTN 5 @ 2cm (from ground)
Layer of concern: 1-3mm facets at the snow/asphalt interface.
Plan: Hurry back into the office before the roof avalanches on me.
Enjoy the upside down snowpack everyone....Erich Peitzsch
Sorry mates, some one stole my identity. The real Brad Lamson would never come across that serious, even after a 6-pack. I'll make sure to get some post up when I can get my identity crisis figured out. In the mean time, $0.02 is a bit much for Erich's stability assessment, don't need a stone grind just yet. I'll offer a penny for ones thoughts, if they care to post. Sorry Ted you are over qualified and I would not be able to pay you with more than a wooden nickel, even though you deserve much more for your knowledge. OK, gotta get back to my Pachinko game, my next post will involve a bit of snow jargon. I promise.
ReplyDeletethe Real Brad Lamson