Surface Hoar and Instability in Lionhead
Date
Activity
Skiing
From email: 12/13: "Many slopes had half-inch to inch-sized surface hoar crystals on the surface, some of the largest I've ever seen!
Wind was light out of the north on the ridgeline. We noticed 2 natural avalanches on the east-facing slopes below Bald Peak. I lost count, but we experienced well over 30+ collapses while walking on the ridgeline. Many of these collapses were very large and we were able to watch the slopes 'sink' by upwards of an inch which made our hair stand on end.
We dug a pit near the saddle below Lionhead Peak at 9300' on an east-facing slope (HS ~85cm). We performed an ECT and our results indicated poor stability (ECTP 14 @ 50cm)."
Region
Lionhead Range
Location (from list)
Lionhead Ridge
Observer Name
Robby Parsons