Public Observation
Observation Details
Observation Date:
December 20, 2022Submitted:
December 22, 2022Zone or Region:
Tamarack Out of BoundsActivity:
Skiing/SnowboardingLocation:
Tamarack South BackcountryTriggered Avalanches
Did you trigger any avalanches?
YesWas it intentional?
YesAvalanche Type:
Soft SlabSize:
Size 2: Could bury, injure, or kill a personElevation:
7600'Aspect:
EComments:
On Tuesday 12/20/22 we intentionally triggered an avalanche at the first cornice south of the Tamarack south boundary gate (44°40'21.8"N 116°09'51.6"W). On the hike to the cornice we experienced extreme west winds and noticed the cornice was very overhung, approximately +2 ft at the most severe locations. We could see the slope below was highly wind loaded. We gave the cornice a 2 or 3 stomps with one ski and the entire length of the cornice broke free and triggered the slab on the slope below the cornice to slide. I'm not sure if it would be classified as a hard or soft slab, but the chunks were quite dense with a thickness of 12-18 inches. The width of the avalanche was approximately 175 ft and it ran all the way to the trees below the cornice in some areas.Signs of Unstable Snow
None reported
Observations
In the days prior we had observed widespread faceted snow in the backcountry around the Tamarack resort. On Tuesday high winds were present for much of the day and seem to have created some good size wind loaded slopes. With the recent snowfall on Tuesday night and Wednesday we are very weary of traveling out of bounds until conditions stabilize.
Media
