Public Observation #2023-953
Submitted:
January 8, 2023 4:55 PM
Observation Date:
January 8, 2023
Zone or Region:
Central Cascades
Activity:
Skiing/Snowboarding
Location:
Tam Rim
Did you trigger any avalanches?
Yes
Was it intentional?
No
Avalanche Type:
Soft Slab
Size:
D1: Relatively harmless to people
Elevation:
Aspect:
E
Comments:
Did you see shooting cracks?
Yes
Did you experience collapsing or whumpfing?
No
Toured Tam Rim in the morning. Poor visibility and high winds with gust over 50 mph were observed. At tree line while skinning up towards the rim instability was observed on the skin track. No whompfing but cracking and release of the wind transported snow over the previous days days snowfall. A quick pit revealed that the new wind transported snow had not bonded to the previous days snow at all. We toured at and below tree line in 30 degree slopes. During one of the laps in the trees a ski cut released a small crown 30 meters wide and 10 cm deep in the trees. Blowing snow and poor visibility prevented any observations of larger avalanche activity near the top of the rim.