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Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center

Public Observation

Observation Details

Observation Date:
December 30, 2021
Submitted:
December 30, 2021
Zone or Region:
Convict Creek
Activity:
Skiing/Snowboarding
Location:
Old Man Bowl/Mono Jim Peak

Observations

Toured today from Convict Lake up Tobacco Flat to Old Man Bowl on Mono Jim Peak, beginning under the inversion layer with brisk 2 deg. F temps.
Travel through the moraine has become much better, is fully supportable and filled in. Once atop the moraine bench, noted several D1 dry loose slides coming down the E facing paths, and a large (old) debris pile at the foot of the largest path.
Old Man Bowl ran fairly big during the storm, with a mound of debris below the entrance to the bowl that had been mostly covered up by recent wind deposits. At the top of the bowl on a steep NE lee loading zone, there was a fresh natural D2/R2 wind slab that likely ran yesterday. Ski pen ran from 10cm to 35cm, with most new snow sitting atop a very robust windboard. Hand shears failed cleanly with moderate force down 25cm. Winds increased during the morning, and lots of active loading was visible throughout the high peaks. Morrison Col had not slid naturally during the storm aside from some minor sluffing but was seeing significant loading.
While ascending and descending the bowl, a small feature at the mouth of the bowl slid naturally, D1 wind slab, 20-25cm thick

Observed Avalanches

Did you observe any avalanches? 
Yes
Avalanche Type:
Size:
Size 2: Could bury, injure, or kill a person
Elevation:
10700
Aspect:
NE
Comments:
N-D2-R2-HS Crown: 2-3' deep, 150' wide
N-D1-R3-HS Crown 25cm deep, 75' wide

Signs of Unstable Snow

None reported

Media

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