***Avys this Weekend***

Went up to Cowlitz Rock (MRNP) today because of avy hazard & warmer than forecast temps.  A very large climax avalanche had occurred Saturday on the steep eastern aspect SE of McClure Rock and below the Skyline bench.  The crown fracture was about 2000 feet long and varied in height from about 10 to almost 30 feet!  I'd guess it was triggered by cornice collapse, but the most interesting thing was how it stepped down twice right to the base of the snowpack, with 2-3' secondary crowns that left bedrock exposed.  The debris field was about half a mile across in two directions, probably several hundred acres up to several tens of feet deep. It ran across the flats to Stevens Creek and a couple hundred feet up the opposite side of the valley!  The even larger & steeper slopes from McClure Rock to Paradise Glacier terminus did not slide, but I think I'll stay away from steeper eastern aspects until the weather cools down.

Vogtski please tell me you have photos of that slide.  If so could you post one or two?

Thane and I were at Alpy yesterday and heard a large slide in the next basin over (looking north) - Commonwealth maybe - and it sounded like a jet, complete with sonic boom. 

Sorry Dave, this poor boy don't own a camera.  A group of three skiers coming from Golden Gate crossed the debris behind me; perhaps they have a photo?

Gary,Did the debris interfere with the normal access route to cowlitz?Sounds like it did.

So Gary, was the avalanche about where I drew it on this map (click to enlarge)?

Sounds very impressive. I hope somebody finds a picture!

We toured near there today - there was definitely some considerable debris in the area you circled on the map. We stayed well above that and above above the big east facing rollers and didn't see any additional activity around paradise glacier. With the description you guys give of the size of the avalanche, I wish I had snuck around from below to check it out. Just scanned through my pictures, but I guess I put the camera away at that point.

Robie - My original post was not very clear.  A relatively small lobe of debris (200-300' wide) crossed the creek for a couple hundred linear feet.  This was beneath the tallest part of the crown fracture at the north end.  The 'hangfire' further north caused me to move my normal uptrack much further uphill to the east, tho...

Lowell - Your marked area is pretty close.  Sorry I can't figure out how to post images here, but I'll try to describe it.  I should have checked the topo before posting.  I may have overestimated the fracture length (but not the height) and debris field size by perhaps 20%.  Move the center of your 'circle'  one-half radius south and make it more of a N-S oval W of the creek.  Hope that's clear?

This area I call the 'Muir Wall' is perhaps the most active near Paradise for slab avalanches since I arrived in the early 70's (N & E aspects in the Tatoosh are #2).  I always cringe when I see skiers exiting Paradise Glacier traverse the base of this slope.  I've seen debris from even larger slides in the past that almost filled the entire valley west of the creek.  But I don't recall ever seeing such a clear and sobering example of the 'step-down' secondary crown fractures.  I'm scheduled to ski with Dorothea Wednesday.   I'll get her to take a couple photos and e-mail them to Robie for posting here.