Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Cracking
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Had some sensitive wind loaded test slopes and cornice formation on east and SE aspects at and just below ridge lines. Cornice was was 4F to 1F density and refilling and increasing throughout the day. The largest of these blocks to get kicked off was about the size of a small car, the average about the size of a fridge. Wind loading just below these cornices was 4-9” deep and 4F hard. Lots of shooting cracks and moving snow seen in these soft wind slab pockets. The longest propagation with this wind slab triggered from cornice fall was about 100’ wide (although only slid a short distance). My skin track on the ridge line was almost completely filled back in and cornice had begun to form again when I returned about 3 hours later.</p>
Pictured: cracking and wind loading/ cornice formation.
Snowpack
Snow surface was mostly light to medium density powder with areas of soft wind drifting. Hard supportable crust underneath was easily reached with turns, especially early in the day. As the day progressed the new snow density seemed to increase (wind). The pulsing storm included several bouts of Graupel.