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
04/13/2019 - 14:30 Luther Pass Luther Pass Area (including Job and Freel) Snowpack Observation Professional Observer
04/13/2019 - 11:00 Johnson Canyon Donner Summit Area Snowpack Observation Fully boot supportable 9 inch thick K hard crust at 6,560' at 9:40 am. Still ski supportable but not boot supportable 9 inch thick 1F hard crust at 7,420' at 10:15 am. Fractures behind cornices, common in this climate. Forecaster
04/13/2019 - 07:00 Echo Peak Echo Summit Area Snowpack Observation Large debris from previous wet slide Many previous wet slides Another previous wet slide Public
04/12/2019 - 12:30 Donner Summit - Black Wall Snowpack Observation The melt/freeze crust started to become unsupportable on S-SE-E aspects below 7000 ft. by 12:30 The melt/freeze crust was still boot supportable as of noon on S-SE-E aspects. 1 to 2 inches of wet corn snow on top of a 6 inch thick melt/freeze crust on an E aspect at 10 am. About 16 inches of wet snow existed below the crust. Glide cracks on an E aspect. Forecaster
04/12/2019 - 11:00 Jake's Peak (Emerald Bay) West Shore Area Snowpack Observation Loose wet debris on SE slope Zero ski pen on scoured surface Trees dusted w/ snow up high Large debris under a light coat of snow Public
04/11/2019 - 11:30 Blackwood Ridge Blackwood Canyon or Ward Canyon Area Snowpack Observation Thick frozen crust on top of wet snow. Scoured icy rain crusts on an E aspect. The crust was boot and ski supportable during our tour and showed no signs of melting as of noon. Cloud cover increased during our tour and light snow started to fall around noon. Forecaster
04/10/2019 - 14:00 Incline Peak Mount Rose Area Snowpack Observation 1"+ Wind affected but smooth cold new snow on higher 9400' N/NE aspects at 145p - Fog is from lens Smooth warm non-sticky South Facing turns to 8200' at 2p - supported on skis but shin deep w boots Public
04/10/2019 - 12:00 Blue Lakes Carson Pass Area Snowpack Observation Public
04/10/2019 - 12:00 Chickadee Ridge Mount Rose Area Snowpack Observation Wind sculpting and scouring exposing a firm crust along the ridge from the NE winds. The refrozen crust was thick, frozen, and supportable on a sunny south facing slope at noon. Patches of new snow less than .5 inches deep existed on top of the firm refrozen crust. In most places the crust was exposed on the surface. The thin veneer of new snow was scoured away from the exposed northerly aspects leaving a firm icy crust behind. Forecaster
04/10/2019 - 11:45 Hawk's Peak Donner Summit Area Snowpack Observation Melted and refrozen crust w/ some wind effect Shallow wind scour + deposit 1-2cm of new snow atop frozen rain crust NE facing cornice break (Sunrise Bowl) E facing cornice break E facing cornice break Public
04/09/2019 - 14:30 Elephant's Back Carson Pass Area Snowpack Observation Professional Observer
04/09/2019 - 12:00 Mt. Judah Donner Summit Area Snowpack Observation Thin melting crust over wet deep wet snow on an E aspect at 10 am. No more crust just deep wet snow by noon on the same E aspect. Ski cut triggered loose wet sluff on a nearby E aspect at noon. Firm scoured rain crust near Wildflower Ridge Variable dust on crust and exposed crust conditions. The weather was a mix of snow squalls and sun. Forecaster
04/08/2019 - 23:00 Donner Peak Donner Summit Area Avalanche Observation Forecaster
04/08/2019 - 23:00 Mt Judah Donner Summit Area Avalanche Observation Cornice collapses that triggered loose wet avalanches and a slab failure The other side of the slab Debris at the bottom of the slope form both loose wet and the slab avalanche Another cornice failure near the true summit of Judah. Large chunks of debris at the bottom of this slope. Forecaster
04/08/2019 - 11:00 Incline Lake Peak Mount Rose Area Snowpack Observation Small loose wet avalanches easily triggered on small test slopes, 11am, E aspect. 2x ECTP failing on top of old crust. 14'' deep total, with 8'' wind slab and 6'' of less dense snow below all on top of old crust. 1 cornice drop failed down to wind slab then down through less dense snow to crust-you can see step down in photo. Failure did not propagate beyond cornice chuck dropped. Skipen over knee deep at 8700' on E aspect at 11:30am. Full cloud cover with cloud deck around 10,000'. Forecaster

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