US2 - Clearing the East Gaynor Avalanche

US2 - Clearing the East Gaynor Avalanche, originally uploaded by Washington State Dept of Transportation.

The Stevens Pass closure on Feb. 8 began with a snow slide about ten miles east of the summit in an avalanche zone that hasn’t been active since the 1970’s.

Gaynor #2 spilled more than 30 feet of snow across both lanes of the highway. Over the next 24 hours a second, larger slide came down from Gaynor #1, then a 200 by 35 foot slide came in three miles to the west of the summit from another long-inactive chute above Tunnel Creek. This was followed by an 18 foot deep snow slide covered both lanes above the East Portal of the BNSF Railroad tunnel. Finally, dozens of slides covered one or more lanes through a four mile section of Tumwater Canyon west of Leavenworth.