Quick report
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>A simple snow pack structure now, but it will cause complex avalanche problems when the next storms arrive, forecast to be next week.</p>
Below is a composite of the simple snowpack on shady slopes - new snow from Nov 20-21 above a crust that formed during the warm spell, with facets below.
Crusts themselves are always a red flag to me - they can form a slick bed surface when slides run above them; later when slides break below into the facets, crusts often allow slides to connect wider distances and across terrain features. Crusts also bring the possibility of step downs.
With snow on the way next week, one scenario is that the first avalanches will run above/on the crust, then when a bigger load of snow arrives, avalanches will fail below the crusts on the persistent weak layer of facets.
Snowpack
Settled powder from Nov 20 - 21, over a mostly supportable crust "off the groomers". Still a super shallow snow pack, with the chances of hitting rocks and stumps high. Overall, quite good turning!