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Slide on Hwy 20


sparverius

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Interesting news about Santiam Pass. We were skiing up on Nash Crater Sunday and didn't see any slide activity in the area. I'm guessing that this was triggered by the recent denser snow burying the powder. It would be interesting to check the crown

to see which layers slid.

I reckon this doesn't happen very often up there.

 

 

Snowstorm Causes Slide, Traps Cars

 

POSTED: 8:20 am PST January 8, 2008

UPDATED: 4:28 pm PST January 8, 2008

SANTIAM JUNCTION, Ore. -- A winter storm settled over much of Oregon on Tuesday, with snow slides closing several highways.

 

The National Weather Service said snow would fall over much of Oregon from the Cascade Range east to the Idaho border.

 

The heaviest snowfall was predicted in the southern part of the range, where the service issued a blizzard warning.

 

On Tuesday morning, a snow slide closed Highway 20 near the Santiam Pass after trapping several cars. Nobody was injured, officials said. It was quickly cleared.

 

The Oregon Department of Transportation said heavy snow and other weather conditions caused the slide.

 

A second slide, 80-feet long, temporarily closed Highway 20 later in the day.

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I wonder if it was at that last curve about 1/2 mile before the Hoodoo turn. I was coming downhill once behind a truck that was hit by an avalanche at that spot. The snow scooped it up and high centered him in the center of the highway. We could just punch through in up hill lane. SO COOL! Glad that one wasn't much bigger or he would of had a much longer ride.

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Hog Rock is just West of the Hoodoo turn off. It's not uncommon for that area to avy cross the highway. The whole area around Hog Rock is very unstable now, as the two series of slides indicate. We had 7 feet of snow at the snow marker yesterday, then got somewheres up to two feet of new overnight / today, and by this evening consolidated to 7 1/4 feet (at the marker). That puts us over twice what we had last year with more to come!

 

Hog_Rock_Slide_2.jpg

 

Hog_Rock_Slide.jpg

 

Snow_Marker_1-9-08.jpg

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Here's a few more shots that may help. I would guess 40 near the road getting steeper higher up before the verical cliff band at the top of Hogg. There were visable slab fractures the entire length of circling around Hogg Rock Tuesday. Yesterday it was all covered with fresh snow.

 

Hogg_Rock_2.jpg

 

Hogg_Rock_1.jpg

 

 

Tuesday morning after the slide was cleared.

 

Hiway_at_Hogg_Rock.jpg

 

 

Wednesday showing new snow.

 

Hogg_Rock_Avi_site.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

I was able to get a Highway Patrol escort through the avalanche area with my press pass shortly after the road was cleared to one lane, around 11 am. The pass may not open until tomorrow. It has snowed a lot up there and is going strong today. It will take the snow removal trucks some time to open things up. There are big trucks stuck at the top of Santiam Pass near Hoodoo waiting to go Westbound, another group of trucks waiting near Lost Lake headed Eastbound, and a third group at the junction of Highway 20 and 22 again, Eastbound. The plan is to get the trucks over the pass both directions, then close it to clear the snow.

 

The last time I remember having this much snow was in 1992, the year we had 11 feet at the pass. We are near that now and may pass it today or tomorrow. Two days ago we were up to 9 feet. Yahoo!

 

Here's a look at conditions this morning. By the time I got there the break on the hill above the road was pretty much covered.

 

Hog_Rock_Slide_Area.jpg

 

 

Santiam Pass near Hoodoo, Westbound.

Trucks_Westbound_at_Hoodoo.jpg

 

 

Junction of Highway 20 and 22, trucks Eastbound.

Highway_20_and_22.jpg

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Just got back from Hoodoo. Lots of snow! It was a little heavy, and pulls ya around a bit, but I'm not complaining!! Fresh tracks all day is nice.

 

Just after we left around 4:00pm, the highway closed again at Hogg Rock because of more avalanches. Hopefully they'll open tomorrow, but if not...that will leave more untracked snow for monday and tuesday!

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Shortly after the fourth slide that happened today, someone was hurt at Hoodoo. The ambulance got stuck on the road in to Hoodoo, had to back out to Highway 20, and the Hoodoo ski patrol transported the victim on sled to the highway where the ambulance waited. A grader was caught in today's avalanche according to an O.D.O.T. worker and was dug out. Some folks from Bachelor were sent over eariler (yesterday?) to try and blast the snow off Hogg Rock but it wouldn't slip.

 

O.D.O.T. crews have hit it hard during these back to back storms.

We have hit 12 feet of snow at the Santiam Pass snow marker today.

 

Photo by: Kara Mickaelson

Hoodoo_accident.jpg

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