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Professional Observation

       

Basic Information

Observation Details

Observation Date:
March 8, 2022 - March 8, 2022
Submitted:
March 8, 2022
Observer:
Jonathan Tuttle | Pro Observer
Zone or Region:
Mammoth Lakes
Location:
San Joaquin Ridge (Office Cirque) - Stripped ridgelines and stubborn windslabs

Signs of Unstable Snow

Recent Avalanches? 
None Observed
Cracking? 
Isolated
Collapsing? 
None Experienced

Snow Stability

Stability Rating: 
Good
Confidence in Rating: 
High
Stability Trend: 
Improving

Key Points

Skied from Mammoth’s main lodge up the San Joaquin ridge to what I believe is known as the Office Cirque.  Skied a few aspects/chutes in the cirque and then toured out the east side continuing up the ridge.  Another mile down the ridge I dropped down the SW face down to Agnew Meadows and returned via the road to main lodge.

  • Top 300 feet of the the north-facing terrain was wind stripped
  • West sidewalls of the couloir were wind loaded and I found areas of wind slab ranging in depth from 2cm to 20cm deep
  • Experienced isolated cracking on the skin track with the cracks arresting after 20-30cm past my ski tips
  • 15-20cm of F hardness snow in the cirque that skied quite nicely where it was not wind affected
  • Snowpack depth of around 250-310cm in the Office Cirque
  • On the SW aspect below 9500 feet (at around 1pm) the snow became moist down to the new old interface about (5cm) which sat on top of a knife hard melt freeze crust
  • I was able to produce some roller balls and got a small section of a steep drainage side wall to sluff in a loose wet slide around 9000 ft on the SW aspect
  •  Beautiful day, nice to ski something soft for a change

Media

Wind texture on most of the san Joaquin ridge
Looking up at the NE facing chute in the office cirque
isolated shooting cracks on the skin track in the office cirque
Pit at 9600 ft on NW chute in office cirque. 2cm wind slab over 23 cm F harness snow, over 15cm 1F snow and 10cm of 4f facets bellow that
Pit at 9600 feet NW aspect 30 degrees in office cirque CT2 @2cm and CT16 at 25cm Q3
NW chute in office cirque
Stripped ridgetops on north facing terrain along the san Joaquin ridge
Coverage
5cm of soft snow around 9000 ft on SW aspect of san Joaquin ridge
roller balls from turns on SW aspects of san Joaquin ridge

Advanced Information

Weather Summary

Cloud Cover:
Partly Cloudy
Temperature:
24
Wind:
Light , NE

Full Sun from 7:30 to Noon

High clouds rolled in around Noon and stayed until around 1:30Pm

Broken clouds from 1:30 to 4 pm

Wind shifted from Light NE in the morning to light SW wind in the evening

Warming trend over the day with:

22 degrees F at 8am (9000ft)

36 degrees F at noon (9200 ft)

37 degrees F at 4pm (9000 ft)

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