Quick report
- Cracking
- isolated
We encountered small wind slabs that formed during last night's snow and moderate wind. They formed very near wind exposed upper elevation ridgelines in areas receiving about 4" of new snow.
Cracking in fresh drifts that were up to a foot thick along the ridge. Isolated cracking in thin wind slab beneath cornices.Weather
- Air Temp
- low 20s to low 30s
- Cloud Cover
- broken
- Wind Loading
- light
- Rain Elevation
- 8,500'
- Recent Snowfall
- 10 cm
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Mostly cloudy with short periods of diffuse sunshine. Some light snow flurries but little to no accumulation. Light to moderate wind with strong gusts from the NW, W, and SW. The majority of the snow available for transport had already been moved.
Snowpack
I found a wet, mushy snowpack at middle and lower elevations where the boot pen was to inseam. Snowmobiles were trenching in low-elevation flats on the exit.
It appeared it may have rained up to at least 8,500' here yesterday/last night before changing to snow. A north aspect at 8,500' had 6 cm of dense snow atop very wet melt forms. Climbing higher, new snow amounts increased to about 10 cm.
Although it was breezy along upper elevation ridgelines, there was little snow left to move. Most of the effective loading had occurred previously lee to SW and W wind. This scoured open faces back to a dusty crust and loaded NE-E aspects, forming small wind slabs very near ridgeline.
Avalanche
Triggered one 9" x 50' slab avalanche involving last night's snow.