Large avalanche on Slide Mountain

Location Name: 
Main fork and S. fork of Davis Creek
Region: 
Mount Rose Area
Date and time of avalanche (best estimate if unknown): 
Thu, 01/05/2017 - 15:21
Location Map: 
United States
39° 18' 36.4644" N, 119° 52' 12.2412" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Recent avalanche activity
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Obvious avalanche path
Terrain Trap
Observation made by: Public
Avalanche Observations
Avalanche Type: 
Slab
Slope: 
40degrees
Trigger type: 
Natural
Crown Height: 
4 ft
Aspect: 
East
Weak Layer: 
Other
Avalanche Width: 
400ft.
Terrain: 
Below Treeline
Elevation: 
8 800ft.
Bed Surface: 
Other - explain below
Avalanche Length: 
3 500ft.
Number of similar avalanches: 
2
More detailed information about the avalanche: 

Crown was large and connected two large stems of Davis Creek running anchor point to anchor point. All new snow from this week slid on the Dec. 15 rain crust. Crust was as hard as asphault and could barely be penetrated by a ski pole. Running over 2000 vertical feet this slide was large and destructive and resulted in deposition of over 15 feet deep over a debris field of 140 X 75 yards. This Eastern aspect was characterized by very little wind effect and the snow that remained was champagne powder. Could have resulted in muliple death had this area been skied on 1/5/16. This rain crust may prove to be a deeply buried problem in the days to come. Caution is advised in this as any new snow today will most likely not bond well to this surface.

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Weather Observations
Cloud Cover: 
100% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Precipitation: 
Snow
Air temperature trend: 
Static
Accumulation rate: 
Greater than 1 in. per hour