|
Signifigant avalanche cycle in the Lake OHara area
Sunday morning during a brief but intense snowstorm with strong NW
winds.
Observed at 10am a class 2 avalanche triggered
by cornice fall on moderately steep terrain in North facing bowl at
2400m above Schaeffer Lake. Ten minutes
later we watched a class 4 avalanche release from 2700m on the steep East
face of Little Odaray Mtn(aka Walter Feuz pk). It ran well into the timber
and nuked the Goodsir prospect. Fracture line 700m wide by 1-3m deep.
Debris from 3 to 10m deep around 500m wide. It sympathetically triggered a size
2 in skiable terrain.
In the early afternoon of the same day a size 2
slab released on 35 degree terrain on the Odaray glacier(normal summer climbing
route).
Today was clear, cold and calm and nothing was
moving. However, the situation in Yoho feels very similiar to reports from
Rogers Pass. BIG natural avalanches are running FAR and FAST with
relatively minor weather triggers. Skiers and ice climbers would be well advised
to stay FAR away from big avalanche paths with alpine starting zones
for the forseeable future, especially during periods of snow, high winds
aloft and warming trends.
Patience! It will get better some day.
Larry Stanier
Mountain Guide
|