Quick report
- Red Flags
- Rapid Warming, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>The only obvious Red Flag was the unseasonably warm temperatures. This was then followed by the dense wet slab that was a result of yesterdays/last nights storm. This dense layer is now blanketing/bridging the areas that were housing the January/February facet layers. This bridge may now allow riders to get further onto suspect slopes before triggering potential slides. </p> <p>The only recent avalanches observed were Wet Loose, and these were occurring on all aspects with steep terrain. Roller Balls and small Sluffs were observed. </p>
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>As stated above, Wet Loose was the most prominent problem observed. Any sustained periods of solar may keep this problem active for tomorrow. </p> <p>Our Persistent Slab Problem is now covered with a more dense slab/bridge, and as stated above this may allow riders to get further onto suspect slopes before triggering them. They will be more stubborn, but this problem continues to have High Consequence concerns. </p> <p>The Danger Rating reflects the Solar induced concerns as well as the High Consequence issues associated with the buried PWL </p>
Damp is an understatement with all aspects up to 10,300 having varying degrees of Wet-ness, even at 0930. Greenhousing and direct intermittent/periodic burst of solar made the East and Solars even more wet. Grabby/sticky conditions 9000' and below. Of Note: over 3 inches of water in the form of rain was observed at 8000'. Brighton reported 2.41" of SWE. Riding was surfy on supportable wet surface snow and trail breaking was very supportable. Hard to find any dry/cold surface snow in areas traveled up to 10,500', but once you dug down 3 to 4 inches the first part of the storm above 10,000' was still dry. Exit was done at 1300, so it's hard to say if even those layers remained dry. All aspects and elevations will have variable forms of crusts tomorrow.