Public Observation
Observation Details
Observation Date:
February 14, 2024Submitted:
February 15, 2024Zone or Region:
Taos AreaActivity:
Skiing/SnowboardingLocation:
Lake Fork East BowlObserved Avalanches
Did you observe any avalanches?
YesAvalanche Type:
Hard SlabSize:
Size 2: Could bury, injure, or kill a personElevation:
12,500'Aspect:
NEComments:
Old, partially filled-in crown visible ~300 m skier's left of the North Face of Lake Fork Peak; appears to have gone naturally, though timing is not clearPhoto:
Signs of Unstable Snow
Observations
Poked around the Lake Fork area this morning, finding good skiing conditions on north facing aspects and easy, supportable travel on more eastern aspects. The upper 100+ cm of the snowpack on eastern aspects above treeline consists of interbedded, hard (1F-P) wind slabs separated by thin, soft (4F) interstorm layers of decomposing fragments and, possibly, near-surface facets. Northern aspects above treeline have close to 300 cm of snow and are largely free of wind slabs, except near ridgelines in specific areas.
While it is certainly still possible to affect the weak layers at the bottom of our snowpack, it would require somewhat specific circumstances (e.g., windslab releasing and stepping down, finding a shallow spot near rocks, etc.), and this deep persistent slab problem appears to have become a low-likelihood, high consequence problem on our above treeline northerly and easterly aspects
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