Alta Peak Avalanche Pictures taken 3/12/08

[ilookeddown]

Went for a tour up to Alaska Peak with Adam and came across the massive Alta Peak slide from last month. I have never see an avalanche do this much damage. It crossed the valley, covered Gold Creek and took out trees up hill on the other side of the valley. I thought I would share because it is very impressive.

 

Adam touring across valley west side trees got smoked up hill.

Slide path east side.

Slide path from the summit of Alaska Peak

East side of slide path with the lone tree

East side of slide path

Where gold creek was

[MisterMo]

Great pictures. I bet that slide has cousins all over the Cascades. There sure are a lot of monster crowns out there, some in places I've never seen before.

[grtmtnchic]

Wow - that's really amazing. What a year!

[Gary_Yngve]

very cool. thanks for sharing!

[Stefan]

hey that's pretty cool

 

thanks for sharing

[setnei]

Amazing. Powerful stuff.

[steller]

it looks as though those trees were knocked over by just the air blast. Soo cool .

 

Chris.

[Argus]

it looks as though those trees were knocked over by just the air blast. Soo cool.

 

I was wondering what your basis was for thinking this.

[steller]

The damamge is tremendous from a air blast. Think for a moment the wave of air the envelopes you as u wait for the bus to stop. or a subway, then multiply that thought by 220 Kmh ( the average calculated speed of a dry avalanche at terminal velocity). Maybe I am wrong in this particular instance. But by looking at that photo and seeing the fella walkin threw the carnage. I can only imagine the forces at work. another thought is if the forest was damamged as a result of avalanche mass there may be more broken trees as opposed to trees that look like they have been pushed over. I also have witnessed the damage of on air blast first hand from a helicopter after a explosive control mission. Following the avalanche from afar. Hope this clears up my thoughts from the original post.

 

Chris.

[Argus]

I understood the concept of the air blast. I was just trying to see if there was anything in the photos that indicated air blast over damage from the avalanche itself.

[ilookeddown]

If it helps here are a few more of the west side.

[steller]

an avalanche of that magnitude will always have a air blast. and the trees bent over instead of being broken were the indicator for me. as well as damage so far up the opposing side of the valley.

 

chris