YESTERDAY:
First light on Ipsoot.2240 meters -4, Winds were 30-40 KPH E--Horstman Hut
1860 meters -1, Winds were 15-25 KPH SE --Rendezvous
1570 meters -2, 0 cm in 12 Hrs, 0 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 163 cm--Catskinner
FORECAST:
High pressure aloft will bring a mix of sun and cloud this am in a North Westerly flow aloft. A very weak frontal band will bring cloudy skies with some flurries this afternoon. Cloudy but dry on Wednesday as a weak high pressure rebuilds. Thursday will start off cloudy with some sunny skies by the afternoon. At this time Friday is looking sunny as well. No snow expected until Sunday. Guesstimates: 0-2 cm by Wednesday am, 0 cm by Thursday am, 0 cm by Friday am.
AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:
An avalanche has killed a skier in Verbier, Switzerland. Article below. Net PicAvalanche Summary
A few small wind slab and wet loose avalanches were reported on Sunday and Monday. Explosive control targeting cornices on Friday and Saturday produced size 2 results, some triggering deep slabs on the rocky slopes below.
There has been significant deep persistent slab activity this month. During a widespread avalanche cycle last week, several storm slabs stepped down to deeper weak layers resulting in very large (size 3-4) deep persistent slab avalanches (see these photos from Panorama Ridge). On Jan 9, a large (size 3) avalanche was remotely triggered by skiers on Cowboy Ridge near Whistler. The avalanche occurred on a north to northwest aspect at around 1900 m. The crown was up to 200 cm deep and was approximately 200 m wide. See this MIN for photos and more information. A similar avalanche was remotely triggered by skiers on a nearby westerly slope a few days before (see this MIN).
Snowpack Summary
Ski quality in the extensively wind affected alpine has been widely referred to as chalky. Soft snow may be found in sheltered areas around treeline and may overlie a spotty layer of surface hoar. A widespread surface crust exists below 1900 m and on south-facing slopes.
The snowpack is currently quite complex. A layer of sugary faceted grains above a hard melt-freeze crust from early December may be found down 100 to 200 cm. Just over a week ago, several large natural and human-triggered avalanches on this layer occurred, with the hot spots being around the Whistler backcountry. Near the base of the snowpack, there may be faceted grains above a crust from early-November, which has also been identified as the failure layer in sporadic avalanche releases.
LOCAL AVALANCHE CANADA MIN REPORTS:
Panorama Ridge: Jan 17, 2021
East Duffey: Jan 17, 2021
AST 2 Coast Mtn. Guides: Jan 17, 2021
Black Tusk Shoulder: Jan 17, 2021
Gin Peak: Jan 17, 2021
North of Rohr Lake: Jan 17, 2021
Tantalus: Jan 18, 2021
The Hurley is Delivering: Jan 18, 2021
VIDEOS:
Controlled large avalanche: Grande Motte
Powder Picker Jan 18, 2021: David Jones
ARTICLES:
Eight skiers die in Swiss Alps over three days: Swissinfo
38 Year old British man dies an avalanche in Verbier: Switzerland
An avalanche leaves one dead and one injured in Rochers-de-Naye: Switzerland
Skier killed in Vosges avalanche: France
Nordic skiers killed by avalanche in the Oisans: France
Series of avalanches, one fatal: France
One dead, three missing after avalanche hits Dombay Resort: Russia
How to make safe decisions when avalanche danger looms: Adventure Journal
Marker Goggles for best avalanche picture Jan 19- Jan 31, 2021.
Ken Nickel gets a new pair of Marker Goggles for submitting this image from Cowboy Ridge.
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