Professional Observation
Basic Information
Observation Details
Observation Date:
January 2, 2022Submitted:
January 2, 2022Observer:
TAC - Andy BondZone or Region:
Taos AreaLocation:
Recent NaturalsSigns of Unstable Snow
Recent Avalanches?
YesCracking?
IsolatedCollapsing?
None ExperiencedBottom Line
Recent natural avalanches during the storm and explosive triggered avalanches today is all you need to know that the snowpack needs time to adjust to this latest round of heavy snow.
Media
Advanced Information
Weather Summary
Cloud Cover:
ClearTemperature:
0 - 15Wind:
Light , NWThe low-density snow was easily being transported by the light NW winds early this morning, but outside of the highest ridgelines, there was no blowing snow. Lots of snow is available for transport. Temps were frigid this morning and warmed up quickly when in the sun.
Avalanche Observations
| # | Date | Location | Size | Type | Bed Sfc | Depth | Trigger | Comments | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Past 48 hours |
Kachina Peak NE |
D2 | SS | O-Old Snow | N-Natural | This path appears to have run later during the storm. The other adjacent paths had also avalanched but had been filled back in with less distinct crowns and debris covered in snow |
|
|
| 1 | Past 48 hours |
Kachina Peak E |
D1.5 | SS | O-Old Snow | N-Natural |
|
It appears many slopes avalanched with persistent slab avalanches focused on northerly and east aspects. Storm slab avalanches could be observed on other aspects. Crowns and debris were hard to identify on a lot of slopes and most likely ran sometime earlier in the morning on Friday with fresh snow covering debris and crowns.
I hope to have some good photos of an impressive slide on the North Face of Vallecito later
Snowpack Observations
Graupel could be found on the surface as well as buried 10cm beneath the surface. Although cold, our strong southern sun was starting to warm the surface. If I was out later, I'd expect to see some loose snow avalanches on solar aspects in steep terrain around rocks. Didn't dig any pits, just went for a walk
Avalanche Problems
| Problem | Location | Distribution | Sensitivity | Size | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Persistent Slab
|
|
Recent natural persistent slab avalanche from yesterday | |||
Storm Slab
|
|
Unknown | I'll call this storm slab as winds have died down since the storm, but near and above treeline have slightly stiffer wind skin that was able to propagate. It was failing anywhere from 10 to 20 cm down. Wind prone slopes was where you'd observe cracking on the surface. |
Terrain Use
Really good powder skiing right now!
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