Please remember that these observations indicate what was going on in the snowpack at a single point in time and space. They may not represent conditions where you are or where you plan to be. They also come from a variety of sources. SAC cannot vouch for the quality or accuracy of any observations that come from the general public. Some of these may be professional quality observations; some may not. Please use observations listed on this page as part of your information gathering process, but as always don't make decisions based on a single piece of information. If you are looking for more information on how to understand the information on this page, all of the pit data graphs and stability tests are part of what is presented in a Level II avalanche class that follows the American Avalanche Association (AAA) or American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) curriculum guidelines. All of the coding and abbreviations for data presented follows the publication Snow, Weather, and Avalanches: Observational Guidelines for Avalanche Programs in the United States (SWAG) which is the standard for all professional avalanche programs in the US. An electronic copy is available here. Most of what you are looking for is in Chapter 2 and Appendix F part 1. We use a program called SnowPilot to create the snowpit graphs. It is available as an online tool or as a downloadable program at http://www.snowpilot.org/. This website also has a quick video and user guide on how to use create snowpits. Please send us your observations using the buttons below.
Date and time of observation or avalanche occurrence Location Region Observation Type Photos Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Videos Snowpit videos (tests, etc) Observation made by
02/17/2019 - 12:00 South Camp Peak East Shore Area Snowpack Observation Professional Observer
01/07/2019 - 13:00 Powderhouse Peak Luther Pass Area (including Job and Freel) Snowpack Observation New storm slab cracking on slope undercut by skin track. Flipping my ski pole upside down, the snow was quite resistant initially in the firm storm slab. Once through the storm slab, the snow was very soft for the rest of the length of my ski pole. Tree rings demonstrating snow settlement due to warming. Hand hardness overview of new snow. One finger hard slab, over fist hard storm snow. Professional Observer
03/12/2019 - 12:00 Horse Meadow Luther Pass Area (including Job and Freel) Snowpack Observation Professional Observer
03/17/2019 - 11:00 Stevens Peak Carson Pass Area Snowpack Observation Above 8600 feet on open east facing terrain the snow was very close to corn. A few shaded gullies held more wintry snow. Professional Observer
02/16/2019 - 12:00 Blue Lakes Rd Snowpack Observation Professional Observer
12/10/2018 - 11:00 Maggie's Peak Desolation Wilderness Area (including Emerald Bay) Snowpack Observation Open area at 8400 feet on ridge between Maggie's Peaks showing NSFs but no Surface Hoar. Professional Observer
01/04/2019 - 13:30 Elephant's Hump Carson Pass Area Snowpack Observation Professional Observer
03/10/2019 - 11:45 Castle Ridge Donner Summit Area Snowpack Observation Open areas below Castle Pass were holding several inches fresh snow on top of older soft snow. On the ridge heading towards Castle, the skin track in the middle of this photo was largely obscured by blowing snow after approximately 30 minutes. On a north facing test slope, a shallow but 40 foot wide wind slab occurred in response to a ski kick. Heavily rimed (and beautiful trees) on the NW slopes of Castle. Professional Observer
02/09/2019 - 12:00 Horse Meadow Luther Pass Area (including Job and Freel) Snowpack Observation Professional Observer
02/06/2019 - 10:00 Flagpole Peak Echo Summit Area Snowpack Observation Avalanche debris from a previous slide was buried under about a foot of soft snow. Minor wind effect observed at the saddle near the summit. Snow was still very soft. Some trees at the summit ridge still held snow despite previous wind and current direct sun. Tree wells were deep. Professional Observer
02/26/2019 - 14:30 Powderhouse Peak Luther Pass Area (including Job and Freel) Snowpack Observation This wind feature is notable because it is at the base of Powderhouse only a couple hundred feet from the road. Large potentially dangerous tree bombs were widespread. This one is sitting directly on the existing skin track. After kicking on a wind feature over a tree well there was minor slab failure. Professional Observer
01/21/2019 - 10:45 Powderhouse Peak Luther Pass Area (including Job and Freel) Snowpack Observation Minimal signs of settlement, just a few cracks around trees. Widespread sastrugi in top 200-300 feet of elevation above and below tree line. Above tree line small test slopes showed moderate crack propagation. Small wind slab. Professional Observer
01/31/2019 - 11:30 Castle Peak Donner Summit Area Snowpack Observation Professional Observer
12/10/2018 - 12:00 Becker Peak Echo Summit Area Snowpack Observation Professional Observer
01/04/2019 - 12:00 Rubicon Peak West Shore Area Snowpack Observation Professional Observer

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