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Missoula Avalanche

Public Observation

Observation Details

Observation Date:
January 19, 2022
Submitted:
January 19, 2022
Zone or Region:
Activity:
Skiing/Snowboarding
Location:
Gash Point

Signs of Unstable Snow

None reported

Observations

Dug a pit at the top of Gash Headwall. 25 degrees, broken sun, intermittent light snow, calm. 8100 ft elevation, east-facing 29-degree slope.

Snow density: F down 18 cm (to melt-freeze crust), 4F to about 70 cm, then 1F to 100 cm, then P. Very right-side-up snowpack. Pit results: ECTN-23, with non-planar fracture at 35-cm depth. Repeated on the other side of the pit and got ECTX. Deep probing with a shovel produced a non-planar fracture at 60-cm depth (about where density changed from 4F to 1F. See photo.

We skied the 40-degree headwall and observed surface sloughing.

Media

Snow density test
Looking past the pit into Gash South Bowl
Non-planar fracture at 35 cm at ECTN-23
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