12-02-04 Juneau Rounds

Road system observations, checking to see if we had any activity from this morning's heavy rain, snow level rising from 700m to over 1100m, and SE0-25 m/sec ridgetop winds. Nothing but small wet point releases on the Gold Creek, Mt Juneau, and most Thane paths, but T011 Snowslide Creek had a medium size slab from the SE side of the upper bowl, where windloading is greatest. It probably released all this week's new snow on the still-frozen crust from last weekend's 11-27 rain.

Classified as a dry soft slab (rain-triggered in dry to moist snow), natural release, relative size 2 and destructive size 3, est 980 - 500m, approx 0.3 - 0.5m D x 300m W, debris approx 1-3m D x 200m W. In the classification scheme, SS-NO-R2-D3-O.

T011 Snowslide Creek slab outlined in white, above Thane Road, photo from Sandy Beach.
Typical warm storm day Southeast Alaska avalanche observation conditions: rain, fog, and dim light at 3:45 pm, Douglas boat harbor, Sandy Beach.