Professional Observation

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Key Points

It was a cold and windy day in the June lake BC. I left the top of J7 with the goal of getting into the high alpine to survey current wind transport and subsequent deposition.

• I ended up spending the day in the ping pong ball with very low visibility. Consequently, observations of blowing snow were limited to my immediate surroundings. (Although I did observe some heavy transport in the high alpine on my drive along the 395.)
• Surface clues such as sastrugi, riming, and blowing snow all pointed towards our recent N-NE winds continuing to move snow around.
• I observed on very small D1 avalanche on a cross-loaded feature near tree line. I suspect this likely occurred in the last 48 hrs or so but I cannot be certain. I also suspect it was natural but nearby tracks could have been filled in
• Recent deposits up to 8” thick were observed in leeward catchment areas in the alpine and I was able to initiate some localized cracking. Extremely low visibility limited my observations, but I did not observe any deposits capable of producing more than a size 1 avalanche.
• Variable surface conditions were observed throughout my tour. Wind board ranging in thickness from thin and punchy to think and supportable were dominant in exposed areas and thin melt freeze crusts were observed on more solar aspects near and below treeline.
• My biggest takeaway today was a reminder that moving through terrain in whiteout conditions can be very difficult and dangerous. At times I couldn’t tell which way was up nor was it easy to gauge my speed accurately. I was extremely glad to be familiar with the alpine terrain I traveled in and I kept my margins wide. Lower elevation treed terrain was the place to be today in the June area.