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Taos Avalanche Center

Public Observation

Observation Details

Observation Date:
December 15, 2020
Submitted:
December 16, 2020
Zone or Region:
Taos Area
Activity:
Skiing/Snowboarding
Location:
Bull of the Woods to Gold Hill to Long Canyon trails

Observed Avalanches

Did you observe any avalanches? 
Yes
Avalanche Type:
Soft Slab
Size:
Size 2: Could bury, injure, or kill a person
Elevation:
Near and below treeline
Aspect:
E
Comments:
Long Canyon’s west side - could not determine size from distance but prob about R2D2. May have been same remotely triggered slide shown in your recent obs

Signs of Unstable Snow

Did you see shooting cracks? 
Yes, Widespread
Did you experience collapsing or whumpfing? 
Yes, Isolated

Observations

Snow pit tests about 8 meters from the Wheeler/Goose Lake trail junction - 87cm depth consisting of various soft slabs sandwiching surface hoar within top 65cm, above a ~4cm knife hard crust, and decomposing basal facets 18cm to the ground.

Various results - CT19 SC Q2 at a barely-visible layer approximately 55cm down, CT4 SC Q3 at 4cm down (fresh snow), CT15 SP Q2 at 51cm, then 2 columns failed at ground upon isolation when saw cut into the basal depth hoar below the sun crust.

A problematic layer seemed to be buried surface hoar at 51cm at the top of a 14cm SS, above the crust. ECT failed there at 15 taps with no propagation, and prop saw test failed at this layer suddenly when saw moved 24cm, the entire upper slab collapsed.

Media

Advanced Observations

Observed Avalanche Problem #1: 
Persistent Slab
Comments: 
Westerly aspect, open area below treeline. Deep cracks on either side of turns on slope 24 degrees, several meters either direction. Slab was about 60cm deep soft slab atop frozen sun crust, cracked and shifted leaving 8-11cm gaps, snow surface dropped about 3cm. As I continued downslope towards the trail cracks continued to propagate either direction from skis. This was a pocket of deeper snow, much of this slope had thinner snowpack but on the spots I checked the same soft above frozen crust structure. Near bottom was shallower, had to climb over some downed trees to get to the trail. Also observed several smaller but noticeable cracks on while traversing along the ridge.
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