Observed Avalanche Debris From Last Storm Cycle

Location Name: mount Judah Region: Donner Summit Area Observation Date & Time: Sunday, December 11, 2022 - 13:30
Location: 39.297917, -120.311890 See map: CalTopo	Is this an Avalanche Observation?: Yes Conditions Alerts: Avalanche Activity Recent Loading Terrain Alerts: Slopes Steeper than 30 degrees Obvious Slide Path Trigger Points Terrain Traps Terrain Matches the Advisory

Observation made by: Guide at Tahoe Mountain School

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Observation

Description of Snow, Weather, and Avalanche Conditions:

I toured the Judah / Donner peak zone today (12/13/22) and found evidence of an old natural avalanche, most likely last storm cycle. What was interesting was the higher elevation wind slab avalanche that propagated R4, "stepped down" further down slope and initiated a deeper avalanche. This deeper avalanche likely broke our persistent weak layer. The crown height of this avalanche ranged from 2-3', and connected several buried trigger points. The avalanche likely occurred on Dec 11 or 12.

Mount Judah - NE Aspect - 7670'

Debris Flow From Avalanche

Avalanche Details

Avalanche Type:

Persistent Slab

Failure Plane/Weak Layer:

Old Snow

Trigger

Trigger:

Natural

Terrain

Aspect:

Northeast

Starting Elevation:

near-treeline

Size

Destructive Size:

D2 Could bury, injure, or kill a person.

Relative Size:

R3 Medium

People Involved

Number of people caught:

Number of partial burials:

Number of full burials:

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Observed Avalanche Debris From Last Storm Cycle

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Observed Avalanche Debris From Last Storm Cycle

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