Here is a quick slo-mo of the snow breaking underneath me on a sidehill. As has been mentioned before, we are going to be paying for that sugar layer and this bad start all season.
Shooting Cracks- signs of snowpack instability
- Thread starter JedInUtah
- Start date
Luckily this was on a not so steep hill....there were places that we could see natural buckling and cracks along with mutliple natural avalanches. Definately unsafe at best.
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avyhunter
Well-known member
Jed... thanks for the killer post. Do you mind if I use your viddy clip for my avy education classes?
Also, check out this slide on Yamaha Hill from Monday afternoon.
Before- http://utahavalanchecenter.org/observation_yamaha_hill_122012
After- http://utahavalanchecenter.org/avalanche_yamaha_hill_122012
Yes, it's sketchy out there and you can trigger deep, dangerous slides from low on the slope.
Also, check out this slide on Yamaha Hill from Monday afternoon.
Before- http://utahavalanchecenter.org/observation_yamaha_hill_122012
After- http://utahavalanchecenter.org/avalanche_yamaha_hill_122012
Yes, it's sketchy out there and you can trigger deep, dangerous slides from low on the slope.
Wow....that hill slides more than any hill I have every encountered....we go around it whenever we are up there.....just to be safe. It was crazy when we were watching the video and saw the shooting cracks.
That wasn't even a big hill. Not to say it wouldn't be nasty to get caught up in, but its what 150 vertical feet (referring to the Yamaha Hill pics)? Good to keep in mind as you (anyone) climbs into higher (more wind effected) and larger terrain. Yikes.
Craig- go right ahead. Appreciate all that you do. Those pics of Yamaha are impressive. The few times we dug a sled out you could definitely see the sugar at the ground. It was just as you describe and even in the flats.
It would feel firm and you would have great sled speed, then you would make a deep turn or go up over a gully rim and break through the layer and hang up on your running boards, track would spin in the sugar= STUCK!
The bottom 10 inches of the pack at the ground are HORRIBLE!
What is it going to take to compress it and stabilize it? Is it possible or does it just have to slide and release the pressure naturally?
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avyhunter
Well-known member
Thanks Jed... appreciate it. To answer your question first- in order to heal our snowpack it needs to get deep. In time, through compression and more homogenous layering, we can bridge over the weak layers. Of course, that means a consistent storm track. Once the snowpack gets deep, it's harder to affect the weak layers, collapse the slope, and trigger a slide. One caveat here is if you're riding on a thin portion of the snowpack where there's rocks and bushes poking out and that's connected to thick, strong snow. Again, once you collapse the slope you're off to the races. The beauty of a normal Utah winter is eventually we turn a corner and all is good. However, this year is really unusual and these weaknesses will haunt us for a long time.
To answer Yamadoo- once the slope slides it's gonna be safer to ride than steep slopes that remain intact. That slope would be a great place to ride safely after the next storm... (note to self)
Even if you do trigger a slide it'll be predictable and manageable.
Tricky part here- the bed surface is now shallow and will continue to rot away and become even more sugary, especially if we don't get snow. With a big dump this slope could be dangerous while others start to get stronger and more stable. Yep... it's gonna be a tricky year. Best to keep updated with snowpack trends, even on days you're not riding, by checking the avy advisory www.utahavalanchecenter.org
Btw- Yamaha Hill has more vertical than you might think... about 500 feet.
Be safe out there my friends!
To answer Yamadoo- once the slope slides it's gonna be safer to ride than steep slopes that remain intact. That slope would be a great place to ride safely after the next storm... (note to self)
Even if you do trigger a slide it'll be predictable and manageable.Tricky part here- the bed surface is now shallow and will continue to rot away and become even more sugary, especially if we don't get snow. With a big dump this slope could be dangerous while others start to get stronger and more stable. Yep... it's gonna be a tricky year. Best to keep updated with snowpack trends, even on days you're not riding, by checking the avy advisory www.utahavalanchecenter.org
Btw- Yamaha Hill has more vertical than you might think... about 500 feet.
Be safe out there my friends!
Craig- if you want me to re-render it for in 1080P for better resolution I can and re-upload it to youtube if you want. I didn't want to wait for it to load so I think I just did in in 960 Large format.
Its a short clip so I could do it easily if you prefer.
Its a short clip so I could do it easily if you prefer.
I'm not trying to argue or second guess anyone that knows that area. But I'm starring at the topo map on the UAC site that has a blue marker on it, which I assumed marks Yamaha hills location, and I cannot come up with 500' vertical. It looks to me like the top of the ridge, just above where that crown is, sits at about 9780' and the bottom where the hill becomes more gentle sits around 9580', for a vertical change of ~200' give or take 50'. This would be for the slope facing straight east. Compare the width of the slide (noted as 300') to the height. Look at the trees on the hill. Again I'm not trying to be argumentative, but its just doesn't add up to that big of a hill. Maybe the person that filed the report meant it ran 500' on the surface?
Either way....it is a dangerous hill because of the constant wind loading that it recieves.....I do believe that is where there was a fatal avalanche 2 seasons ago. Rode there the day after. Deceptively it looks like it wouldn't really slide that deep....but I remember looking into the pit where they dug the victim out and the many other times I have been at the bottom of it and being amazed at how deep and how far it tends to slide.
