Quick report
- Aspect
- Northwest
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Cracking, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 3139 m
- Slope Angle
- 25°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>A bit more of a load and we will be right in in the bulls-eye for human triggered facet avalanches as Andy Paradis's analysis displays. Did a full temperature profile and was very surprised with the extreme gradient within the pack. Some cracking was observed while breaking trail and stomping on test slopes. No collapses felt or heard. </p>
Facets from the 19-38cm layer
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>As stated before, a bit more of a load and we could be seeing widespread failures on these facets</p> <p>Alta Mt Baldy data from MESOWEST shows consistent ~15-20mph winds from the W-NW. Good cornice development along Patsy Marley into Wolverine Cirque. I suspect that on exposed E facing slopes, slabs are beginning to form. </p>
Didn't venture into exposed higher terrain due to time constraints. Sheltered north facing slopes held around 30cm of right side up storm snow from the past few days. No sign of loading or fetch within pit area.
Dug full depth pit to see how storm snow was sitting on the near surface facets. Although it was failing easily on the near surface facets and had potential for soft slabs, I was more alarmed by the failures on the larger facets (not quite depth hoar) and potential for deeper avalanches.