Seeing lots of photos. Can someone break this down for me wx/snowpack/mitigation-wise? gracias.
Printable View
Seeing lots of photos. Can someone break this down for me wx/snowpack/mitigation-wise? gracias.
I find this bit of data interesting from the armchair. This data is from the lower elevation brackett creek snotel.
http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/snow/snowplot.cgi?BRCM8
You can see the first sharp drop of snow water equivalent, meaning water ran down thru the pack, followed by the addition of another 2 inchs of SWE overnight starting as rain then finishing as 20% water content snow. All that and another warm day and you have a textbook recipe for climax wet slabs. Patrol saved lives for how they managed the situation.
Here's a link to the Youtube explanation from Karl Birkeland and Pete Maleski. Short version is 2 consecutive non-freezing nights, moist pack over moist depth hoar, then 9" of new on top. Sounds classic with water factory, slab, and funny business.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3JkJ...ure=plpp_video
Thanks for linking to that. I didn't hear about this, but just checked out the Gallatain/Bridger avy site and tons of pics. Great work by patrol.
It is amazing what a couple of days/nights of above freezing temps, PWL, water and new snow can do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3JkJ...ure=plpp_videoQuote:
Originally Posted by homemadesalsa
link didn't work...for me at least.
This has been making the rounds: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...6338758&type=3
And found this: http://www.kxlf.com/news/bridger-bow.../#!prettyPhoto[gallery]/2/
Crazy
pretty cool video feed. I've been watching a few. Big slides.
was there also natural action inside the ski area?
I'm a jong as far as avalanche goes--so I'm wondering how safe it is standing just below one of those big crowns, when there's still snow above. I've seen that in a number of videos. Obviously the people standing there know a whole lot more than I do. Just asking.
old goat - good post, I have always kind of wondered that myself. More specifically, I have always wondered what consistutes the difference between (1) dangerous hangfire that dictates not taking a look v. (2) big grown line but still willing to look. Perhaps it is the amount of remaining start zone above the crown? Obvious other issues would be unslid slopes that come into the same runout....
For the specific question, perhaps CookieMonster, Summit or Homemadesalsa or someone more knowledgeable would chime in. I have thought for the crown investigation question that in many cases the weak layer below the crown has obviously already failed. So skinning below a crown theoretically wouldn't propogate that already-failed weak layer above into the remaining hangfire. Weather or other external factors could obviously change that, but assuming you are looking the same or next day in similar weather conditions, is the thinking that the weak layer is already gone below the crown and you are approaching via bed surface?
Some pics and vid from Tues and Thurs:
https://picasaweb.google.com/1074253...lanchesMarch27