Quick report
- Aspect
- Southeast
- Red Flags
- Heavy Snowfall, Wind Loading
- Elevation
- 2957 m
- Slope Angle
- 31°
ECTN results on the small grained near surface facets with no results with ski cuts on this layer. Breaking around the skis on the rime crust, but not going anywhere down slope.
Photo of rime crust under new snow.
Photo of rime crust
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Photo of new snow avalanche in terrain over 35 degrees on an north facing slope. Entrained new snow. </p> <p>Photo of cross-loaded wind-drifted avalanche (east facing slope at 9400'). Ran on melt-freeze crust.</p> <p> </p>
Good skiing on 4-6" of new snow. North facing was softer skiing surface with long running sloughs on terrain over 35 degrees isolated to the new/old snow interface. A rime crust 4" +/- below the surface. Shovel tilt test with 30x30 block had clean shears above the rime crust, extended column test did not have propagation. I think that this rime crust will not continue to be a problem after the storm, but I will be watching to see if it is intact anywhere post storm.
There is rising avalanche danger with the forecasted snow and wind. Check out Drew's Blog from a few years ago on Elbert Despain's Rule for handling storm snow avalanches.