Test slope failure near treeline on Rose Knob Peak

Location Name: 
Rose Knob Peak / 3rd Creek
Region: 
Mount Rose Area
Date and time of observation: 
Tue, 04/06/2010 - 10:00
Location Map: 
United States
39° 17' 6.1368" N, 119° 57' 30.0672" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Obvious avalanche path
Observation made by: Forecaster
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

On the northerly aspects in this area, the snow surface remained cold and dry porviding excellent recreation conditions. Hand pits and ski cuts on most test slopes indicated a mostly stable snowpack on these colder northerly aspects. On one 43 degree, NE facing, wind-loaded test slope a small wind slab broke loose after I jumped on the slope several times (photo above). On either side of this small failure ski cuts did not cause any other cracks or failures. The recently formed cornices remained tender and could be broken with small kicks from a skier. Oven to refridgerator sized cornice blocks dropped on the wind-loaded N-NE facing slopes did not trigger any slab avalanches in this area. Some of these cornice pieces did cause some minor sluffing on the slopes below them.

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Cloud Cover: 
25% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Calm
Precipitation: 
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
Accumulation rate: 
More detailed information about the weather: