Good stability around Mt Jefferson and Reas Peak

Good stability around Mt Jefferson and Reas Peak

Date
Activity
Snowmobiling

We had warm temps and good visibility as we rode into Yale Creek. We saw no avalanches, just a lot of wind affected terrain. We rode out and back: Yale Creek, Mt. Jefferson Bowl, Hellroaring Creek past Reas Peak and dug a pit at Tin Cup Pass. Once we got into Hell Roaring Creek we could find soft snow that was just old snow that faceted. We dug at Tin Cup Pass on a NE facing slope at 8,000'. It was the same spot I dug on February 6 and the hole was plainly visible. We dug to the ground (HS 175) and found a stable snowpack (ECTX). The snow structure: weak facets at the ground, then Pencil to Knife hardness slab, then weak, very sugary snow in the top 18” (plus the 2 surface hoar layers). As I walked over from the sleds to the wind-loaded cornice edge I got a whumph but did not see a crack. It was a wind slab on facets that broke. Very isolated but it reminded me of the Lionhead fatality. Small, wind-loaded terrain. Danger felt generally stable, but the whumph was real and made me wonder what other small terrain features are harboring this instability. Basically, be wary around wind slabs!

 

Region
Island Park
Location (from list)
Mt Jefferson Bowl
Observer Name
Doug Chabot