Went to look at avalanches today, specifically the ones in Butler Basin, Wilson and Alexander Basin. We came in from Mill D North because we didn’t want to walk through Scary Gully, a terrain trap that must be crossed if ascending from Butler Fork trailhead. I’m just gonna list the avalanches and aspects because there were so many. Once we got to Dog Lake we noted a large slide on the shoulder of Reynolds Peak which ran on the PWL. Next we traveled on to Soldier Fork where we trigged a large slide on Friday. That slide had filled back in but we did note another slide that started on a 28 degree slope. Once we gained the top of the Nipple we had a panorama of slides to look at. The Wilson Chutes had run wall to wall during the storm with the newer slides on the headwall most likely triggered by cornice falls. Wilson Glade had also avalanched mid slope as usual. The well documented slides in Buttler Basin were also impressive. The big stand out was the SE face of Wilson which avalanched to the ground and ran close to 2500 vertical feet. There where also multiple slides in N facing Butler Basin along with E facing like Swedish Corner and the Honey Hole. We also got a good look into Alexander Basin where there were multiple large slides. Here’s the list, East Chute, Depth Hoar Bowl - wall to wall, Toots Sweet and Toots to Boots had also avalanched. The Toots Sweet one was impressive. I’m not convinced at all that the slides on the polar aspect cleaned out the PWL but the large slides on the SE facing had basically run on the old slippery surface or the ground and do not have the PWL present now. With more snow on tap this week not trusting anything steep yet and waiting to see if the PWL reactivates with more weight.
1 Comment
Mike
1/16/2024 06:55:26 pm
The sheer number of slides is impressive! Thanks for getting out there and passing on the info!
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January 2024
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