Quick report
- Aspect
- North
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Cracking, Rapid Warming, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 3078 m
- Slope Angle
- 25°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Wind scouring was obvious on the SW aspect of Tukno and wind loading was apparent on the more polar aspects with some gentle cornice buildup along ridgelines. I observed cracking around my skis near the snow study plot and warming was obvious as solar aspects had already lost much snow by mid day and the road had meltwater running down it on my return trip. I don't have to apprise anyone about our poor snowpack structure but it was both exciting and unnerving to dig a snowpit and see the makeup of the snowpack and how reactive things are on the Northerly aspects. </p>
This was my first day (and Laney Dog) up this season and it was wild to see how little coverage we still have. There are plenty of hazards around so be careful out there. The stability tests I performed still showed quite a bit of reactivity within the snowpack. I'm excited to get back out but I will definitely be playing it conservative for the time being and we'll see what happens in the coming weeks. The road was pretty messy and slick by the time I drove down with a good bit of water draining down the roadway.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>The new snow is reactive but the real issue is deeper down. I had consistent results on my stability tests around 50cm below the snow surface. Results are included in the attached snowpit.</p>
Had some variable surface conditions throughout the day as things warmed up. When I arrived at the parking lot at 0930 the temperature was 25°F and when I returned at 1400 it read at 36°F. Much of the snow with solar effect warmed significantly. There were areas that had only an inch of new snow on a crust and areas where it was shaded proved to be soft with mix of supportability. I observed surface hoar developing in open areas.