Loose wet avalanche on Donner Lake Run

Location Name: Donner Lake Run above Conifer Drive Region: Donner Summit Area Observation Date & Time: Sunday, March 17, 2019 - 14:45
Location: 39.313629, -120.291458 See map: CalTopo	Is this an Avalanche Observation?: Yes Conditions Alerts: Avalanche Activity Terrain Alerts: Slopes Steeper than 30 degrees Obvious Slide Path Terrain Matches the Advisory

Observation made by: Public

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Observation

Description of Snow, Weather, and Avalanche Conditions:

Small slide as predicted by forecast. Clearly caused by warming top layer of snow. At the bottom of the run, steeper section. Snow quickly accumulated in small gulleys at runout of lower Lake run. Could have tumbled a skier into a tree or tree well. Unlikely to have produced a full burial, but partial burial of a small skier very possible.

Snowpack Details

Persistent Weak Layers:

On the surface

Terrain Details

Terrain: elevations:

Near Treeline

Terrain: aspects:

Avalanche Details

Avalanche Type:

Wet Loose

Failure Plane/Weak Layer:

Old Snow

Trigger

Trigger:

Skier

Trigger Modifier:

Accidentally Triggered

Terrain

Start Zone Slope Angle:

35degrees

Aspect:

Northwest

Starting Elevation:

near-treeline

Size

Destructive Size:

D2 Could bury, injure, or kill a person.

Relative Size:

R2 Small

Avalanche Width (Average width):

15ft.

Avalanche Length (Vertical Run):

70ft.

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Loose wet avalanche on Donner Lake Run

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Loose wet avalanche on Donner Lake Run

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