Avalanche Advisory for 2016-03-14 07:00:07

The past five days have brought a tremendous amount of snow to the Mt. Shasta area.  The snow depth near treeline has reached a whopping 15 feet, with Bunny Flat clocking in at just over 10 feet.  Those snow depths will lower some as all the new snow settles down with the warm and sunny weather on the horizon.  That being said, reports were made of waste deep snow from both the east side of the forecast area, and the flanks of Mt. Shasta yesterday.  We're talking truly waste deep, as in boot penetration waste deep!  Snow fell at 2-3 inches per hour yesterday between 10 am and 1 pm, as recorded at the Old Ski Bowl weather station.  Those high precipitation rates are a red flag. With all that new snow some avalanche activity would be a sure thing.  Evidence of said activity, however, has been hard to find over the past couple of days.  A large scale slide that occurred on the SE aspect of Casaval Ridge was observed earlier last week, but with near constant storm activity since then views above treeline have been fleeting.   It's likely that some natural avalanche activity occurred immediately during the storm yesterday, and the day before.       

Observations were reported from a volunteer field observer who made a ski tour up Green Butte Ridge yesterday.  They were one of only but a few who ventured out into the backcountry with most folks choosing to ride the chair lift at the Mt. Shasta Ski Park. A snow study pit was dug a around 8,000 ft. near treeline on Green Butte Ridge in the "Gerald's Bowl" area.  The observer stated that due to the depth and light nature of the new snow he might as well have been using a rake to dig the pit as a shovel.  An extended column test was performed resulting in a score of ECTN 14 Q2 at a depth of 49 cm (see photo). 

Concern for today will lie in any change of density in the new snow that fell over the past couple of days.  Remain wary of avalanche terrain, and use cautious route finding.  Evaluate the snowpack and used conservative decision making.  Dig a quick pit and perform a stability test or two before committing to a slope.  For those slide paths that did not release, today could be the day. 

Extended column test from 3-13-2016 performed by Shane Rathbun in the "Gerald's Bowl" vicinity of Green Butte Ridge on a S/SE aspect with a fracture depth of 49 cm:

Full Pit profile from 3-12-2016, performed on Gray Butte by Forecaster:

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LOCAL AREA ROAD, NORDIC, AND SNOWMOBILE PARK STATUS:

The Sand Flat cross country ski trails are in good shape and ready for your cross country skis and snow shoes.  These are backcountry routes marked with blue diamonds on trees.  Trails are not groomed.  Snow shoers, please blaze a parallel trail to cross country skiers staying out of the skin track.  These trails can be accessed via the Everett Memorial Highway.  Thank you, and enjoy!

The Mt. Shasta Nordic Center is open! These beautiful, groomed trails can be accessed via the Ski Park Highway. http://www.mtshastanordic.org

The Pilgrim Creek & Deer Mountain Snowmobile Parks are open!  Trails have not been groomed in the past week and a half due to warm temperatures.  Head to our "Education" tab on our website and find the snowmobile section for trail information, grooming status, and other sledder resources.

The Castle Lake Road is CLOSED at the gate. The culvert blew out and we do not know when it will be repaired. The Everett Memorial Highway is plowed to Bunny Flat.

The Five Red Flags of Avalanche Danger any time of year include: 1) Recent/current avalanche activity 2) Whumphing sounds or shooting cracks 3) Recent/current heavy snowfall 4) Strong winds transporting snow 5) Rapid warming or rain on snow.