Quick report
- Red Flags
- Heavy Snowfall, Wind Loading, Cracking
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>We intentionally stayed in mid elevation areas, the only observed red flags were high PI and wind loading. Some minor localized cracking in drifts along the ridge dividing Wills Hill and the Willows. Snow was scouring the north side and loading the south, made for some deeper skiing! I was surprised at the overall lack of cracking or collapsing. </p>
Enough wind action to cover all signs of tracks from this weekend in any exposed area. With the wind and new snow I would expect a natural cycle today in wind loaded areas. The loading observed makes me suspicious of any steep south aspects.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Wind slabs and drifts were my primary concern. In drifted areas it was about 50/50 on isolating columns and shallow ECTs. ECTPs 1 were common in drifted areas. Most broke above a damp layer of fragments sitting on a sun crust.</p> <p>Drifts up to 2' deep.</p> <p>West facing Will's Hill looked very drifted in the one good look we had at about 2 pm.</p> <p>Considerable hazard.</p> <p>The inverted snow is likely cohesive enough to form a slab on the density inversion over the last round of low density snow.</p> <p>Considerable hazard, I would imagine that this will settle out,</p>
HST of 8" at 9500' is a guess, hard to tell with all of the wind. Medium density snow was inverted sitting on the last round of light density snow from yesterday and the day before. Wind may have also increased the density of the uppermost layer in exposed areas..
At least 2" during the day while skiing with high PI at times. 1" at the car at Solitude when we returned.