Observation: Chugach State Park

Location: Peak 3

Date:

April 20, 2019 10:00

Observer:

Peter Wadsworth

Route & General Observations

Skinned up Peak 3 bowl, tons of active wind loading from the South and/or West, shooting cracks in the skin track, skinners were cutting fresh uptracks across slab. We diverted and chose a slope away from that danger.

Red Flags

Red flags are simple visual clues that are a sign of potential avalanche danger. Please record any sign of red flags below.

Obvious signs of instability

Recent Avalanches?	No
Collapsing (Whumphing)?	No
Cracking (Shooting cracks)?	Yes

Observer Comments

Shooting cracks while skinning. We were watching the slab build as we climbed. Stiff "poppy" sounding wind board building up on certain aspects.

Weather & Snow Characteristics

Please provide details to help us determine the weather and snowpack during the time this observation took place.

Weather

Clear until 11am~ish, then the clouds that had been holding at Powerline Pass moved in. Windy 10-20mph?

Snow surface

Wind affected 4-12", some crust had built in yesterday's warmth. Loose very good skiing in spots, but building into slabs where the wind wraps around.

Photos & Video

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Wind slab building.

shooting cracks.

Location

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