Observations – Canyon Road – Peaks 2 & 3
Obvious signs of instability:
- Two small, skier-triggered D1 storm slabs (from ski cuts) in the rocks below top of Peak 3 at ~3950′ and 3800′ west aspect
- D1.5 wet-wind slab avalanche, cross loaded west aspect of Peak 2 south gully ~3000′ that occurred sometime late Saturday or early Sunday (see photos below)
- Cracking in wind loaded areas with deeper, denser (4F+ to 1F) snow
- Cracking in thinner areas of the snowpack where crusts and persistent slabs are weaker
- Low volume sluffing of loose snow in steep, sheltered areas
Weather:
- Partly sunny skies at ~3:30pm becoming overcast by 5:30
- Light southeast wind (modest snow transport)
- Temps in the mid 20s
- No Precip
Surface conditions:
- 1-3cm fresh, dry snow at the trailhead (only sticking to cold surfaces like the frozen road)
- 3-10cm fresh, dry snow in non wind-affected areas above 2500′
- Leeward deposition areas with deeper, denser wind slabs and drifts up to several feet thick
- Upper elevation windward areas with old, hard, and crusty snow exposed
Discussion:
A look at conditions near where the Peak 3 trail meets the road:
Photos of the SS/WS-N-D1.5-R2 natural avalanche that occurred sometime late Saturday to early Sunday on a cross loaded west facing sidewall of the Peak 2 south gully (first two photos were sent in 2/23, second two photos are from 2/24):
Photos of one of two ski cut triggered storm/wind slabs at ~3800′ in the rocks below the top of Peak 3 (SS-ASc-D1-R1-I), ~15′ wide with a max crown depth of ~5″:
