Quick report
Poor snowpack structure, where weak snow sits near the base of the snowpack, is still my main concern. Sunnier slopes, particularly at upper elevations, are becoming more complex as we continue to layer weak snow and crusts with each passing storm. This complicated layering will cause avalanche patterns that could be hard to nail down when storms return.
Small loose snow avalanches from days prior. I got some wind caps on a ridge to crack to the width of my skis. Based on this and VandenBos' ob from Banner yesterday, I can imagine that there are some potentially touchy small wind slabs.Weather
- Wind Loading
- previous
- Recent Snowfall
- 2-3 cm
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
It was snowing from Ketchum to Banner 10:00-12:00. Skies cleared over Banner after depositing around 2-3 cm of snow. It was sunny and calm for a few hours. Then a stratus deck moved back over the Banner Summit Zone. Otherwise, it was clear on the drive home (16:00-18:00).
Snowpack
SW-S-SE:
Snow depths varied from 40-75cm. The shallower areas were on steeper slopes and lower elevations, where the snowpack held stronger crusts that were more tightly packed. In one SW pit at 8,800' (see photo), snowpack tests returned ECTPs on facets above a crust at 11/30. ECTNs were crossing half of the block on FC under a crust down 20 cm. I believe this was the 12/18 crust but I have low confidence there.
E-NE-N:
I spent less time poking around here. Generally, snowpack depths were 75-95 cm. Snowpack tests on an E @ 8,800' (see photo) returned ECTNs under the 12/22 crust, but the slab was thin (15 cm) and weak. ECTXs on 11/30. The slab had a few strong crusts throughout. The base of the slab was 1F.
Avalanche
There were about four loose snow avalanches on a SW aspect between 7,000-7,500' above Newman Lake. Some appeared older than others. A couple could have been from yesterday. There were some roller ball herds in a few places but no other obvious avalanches. I had good visibility from Cape Horn and I glassed the N side of Copper from the Highway.