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I was
skiing in the Cerise Creek drainage this weekend and observed a large natural
avalanche worth noting. The East ridge of Matier above the Anniversary
Glacier has avalanched and has run the full length of the valley below
the glacier to end approximately 500 meters beyond the toe of the moraines.
Debris has crossed Cerise Creek and removed a large swath of the 2nd generation
trees on the east side of the creek, then turned the corner and ran down Cerise
creek for another 100 meters. At least 300-400 meters of the standard approach
to Keith's Hut is under 1 to 3+ meters of debris, including about a 200
meter section of Cerise Creek. Limited observations of the fracture line
show it right at ridge top and it appears to be 3-4 meters in depth,
possibly triggered by cornice failure during the recent high winds.
There also appears to be a significant fracture line and
avalanche on the moraine/boulder slopes underneath Joffre, most likely triggered
by the impact of the first avalanche off of the East Ridge of
Matier. I could not see the middle steeper section of the
Anniversary to see if it had slid as well.
I was
in the parking lot at 0930 on Saturday Jan. 5th and heard a large event,
but with poor visibility could not be sure if it was a large wind gust or an
avalanche. When we reached the debris at noon there were a large
amount of branches on the snow surface with little snow cover despite heavy
snowfall, so I am fairly certain it ran at around 0930 that morning. Luckily
there were no people on the approach at the time, though it is a very
sobering sight to see such a commonly traveled route under so much debris.
A good reminder to always question your choice of route, and what you are
exposed to at that time, regardless of how "common" the route
is.
Brian
Jones
Mountain Guide
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