Observation Date: 12/08/2013

Route/Location:
Toured from near the upper Gash trailhead to the point just east of Gash proper. Skied the rib down the center of North Bowl, and back to the rig.

Weather:
Light snow, very cold, Partly cloudy.

Wind:
Pretty calm while we were there, but wind effects near the ridgelines were apparent. Some little cornices are even starting to build. Pretty solid wind slabs have formed on the lee side of high elevation ridges.

New Snow: 6-12″

Avalanche Activity:
One member of our pary triggered a fairly large slab below a rock band on the east side of North bowl. The slide was probably 80′ wide and 80′ long, perhaps 6 or 8 inches deep at the crown, and released on a surprisingly low angle slope of around 30 degrees, NE aspect, 8500′. It had very little energy, and only moved perhaps 100′ downslope before settling in a concavity. When it released it moved very slowly, and the triggering skier was well out of danger by the time the slide built any momentum. The interface seemed to be fairly rough, but the slide propogated far enough and the slab deep enough to form a potentially nasty slide on steeper or more consequential terrain. Certainly something to be aware of beneath the new snow.

Other Comments:
Pretty thin below 6500′ right now.

Observer: Doug Brinkerhoff