Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Wind Loading, Cracking, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Reports of avalanches in the outlying terrain outside of the Alta and Brighton perimeter where the shallow snowpack concerns exist continue to be reported. Overnight winds were obviously loading leaward terrain features throughout the day, and these winds had actually died down from the sustained overnight velocities. Cracking was observed on steep terrain features that had loading as described above. </p>
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>The winds overnight on Monday appear to be forecast to be in critical speeds and continued loading may be occurring with the potential to overload areas that are housing shallow snowpack/poor structure. The danger appears to be maintaining the same trend of sustained danger. </p> <p>Persistent slab concerns as cited above appear to be likely in areas that have a shallow snow pack and are receiving substantial loading from the SW and S winds. N, NE, E and SE aspects remain suspect in these specific isolated areas. </p> <p>Reports from Mineral Basin and the Brighton Perimeter were noting mostly stable conditions with isolated pockets of wind slab potential with no naturals observed. As a result, moderate appeared to be the danger rating in these areas. Sustained winds overnight and into tomorrow may escalate the danger to considerable. </p>
Winds from overnight damaged much of the upper elevation exposed terrain. Scouring and dense slabs were observed. Soft 4 finger slabs up to 9 inches thick as well as hard slabs that were knife hard and 4 inches thick were scattered in the alpine. Patches of dense wind slab were intermixed with dense creamy snow in the alpine. There were still good turning conditions in somewhat dense settled powder down off the ridges and especially in the more protected areas.