Quick report
- Aspect
- North
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 2987 m
- Slope Angle
- 21°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>As noted above, light snow transport was observed through the afternoon, depositing old snow onto Northern facing aspects at and near treeline. Poor snow structure continues to persist along the Northern Half of the compass - with the avalanche forecast continuing to verify. Precipitation through this weekend will add more water to an already sensitive weak layer, and may some tip scales.</p>
Went for a wander within the Wolf Creek Pass area to practice some skills and verify snow/rain line for this upcoming pulse of rain/snow/snot. FAFL hovered around 9500ft, with snow falling at and above 9000ft, with rain below. Even without gleaming red flags such as cracking or collapsing - One could sniff out the snow structure on the north half of the compass simply by stepping off your skis, probing around or putting your shovel into the snow. No matter how I sliced it in my snowpit, test results were consistent and support the looming PWL issue we are under. More water and snow this week atop our PWL will be worth monitoring.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Unsupportable and punchy snow surfaces were observed along my uphill travels, with recent settled storm snow resting above our well-documented basal facets/PWL. A few hasty hand pits confirmed the forecasted snow structure along the northern half of the compass for today. A more in-depth snowpit (below) revealed its predictable nature. </p> <p>Although snow transport was active, loading rates were light and did not appear to be actively building slabs above aforementioned weak layer. I did not encounter any wind slabs or sensitive surface snow along my travels - however the hint of what's possible to come was evident as our storm rolled in. </p>
Within the Wolf Creek Pass area, recent 12/19-20 storm snow has gone through multiple days of warm temperatures, turning moist alongside moderate settlement across sheltered terrain facing north. Old snow surfaces provided inconsistent travel, supportable at times and unstable underfoot at others. No cracking or collapsing observed during my travels. Fair to good coverage was observed across the northern half of the compass above 9000ft. The southern half (SW-SE) of the compass 9000-10000ft is variable, with thinner coverage and ground cover still exposed in many locations. East-facing aspects between 9000-10000ft blur the line between these two coverage differences, with previous wind loading present at ridgelines.