Canyon Road – Peaks 3, 3.5, 4, & 4.5

Signs of Instability:

• Ski-cut triggered soft slab above the steep chute on Peak 4, ~200′ wide and ran ~500′ (see photos below)
• Very small skier triggered soft slabs coming through the rocks from the top of Peak 3 in cross-loaded areas
• Short cracking and non-reactive popping of soft slabs along the Peak 3-4.5 ridge in loaded areas

Weather:

• Light and variable winds
• Upper single digit temps at the higher elevations
• Partly cloudy skies with periods of clear and periods of low passing clouds shrouding the peaks and reducing visibility

Avalanche Concerns:

The only area where a reactive slab was found was the steep, thin, and rocky area around the Peak 4 chute mentioned above.  This soft slab was more consolidated by the wind than the snow in more sheltered areas and was on the steepest section of terrain with a hard base underlying it.  Other wind loaded areas where the snow is more consolidated into a slab showed subtle signs of cracking and popping but were generally non-reactive.  The snow in the Rabbit Creek valley seems to be bonding well to the old surface, and with a lack of deeper instabilities the avalanche hazard should continue to be on the decline until a wind, snow, or warming event comes along.  However, no one tested the stability of steep, exposed lines and extreme caution is still warranted for such terrain.

Peak 4 soft slab photos: