Avalanche in Hourglass on Tamarack

Location Name: 
Tamarack Peak
Region: 
Mount Rose Area
Observation Date & Time: 
Sunday, December 11, 2022 - 12:00
Location: 
39.320092, -119.922356
See map: CalTopo
Is this an Avalanche Observation?: 
Yes


Conditions Alerts:

  • Avalanche Activity
  • Persistent Problem

Terrain Alerts: 
Slopes Steeper than 30 degrees
Obvious Slide Path
Observation made by: Public

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Observation
Description of Snow, Weather, and Avalanche Conditions: 

This large avalanche likely slid during the storm cycle on 12/10/22 or 12/11/22. It's hard to tell from these images but it looks like it could have potentially stepped down to a deeper layer as indicated from the crown line in the lower climber's right of each photo. My best guess as to the size and type of this avalanche is as follows:

HS-N-R3-D3-U

This avalanche was reported several times. We have combined all the other observations into this one. There are more snowpack details in this observation from a few days later.

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Terrain: elevations: 
Above Treeline
Terrain: aspects: 
NE
Hide Avalanche Details
Avalanche Type: 
Persistent Slab
Failure Plane/Weak Layer: 
Old Snow
Hide Trigger
Trigger: 
Natural
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Start Zone Slope Angle: 
35degrees
Aspect: 
Northeast
Starting Elevation: 
above-treeline
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Destructive Size: 
D3 Could bury and destroy a car, damage a truck, destroy a wood frame house, or break a few trees.
Relative Size: 
R3 Medium
Crown Height: 
4 ft
Avalanche Length (Vertical Run): 
300ft.
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