Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Cracking, Collapsing, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>The area of the Uintas I observed today had numerous red flags. The snowpack is thin and weak compared to the Wasatch, with as little as two feet of snow in many spots. Some more sheltered areas have three to four feet. In all areas facets persist in the bottom foot of the snowpack and have not gained cohesion like in the Wasatch. The foot of snow that has fallen on the last few days has obviously burdened this weakness and collapses and cracking were common today. Also, fierce winds this morning and moderate winds all day moved a high volume of snow around and created many sensitive cornices and winds slabs. Many of those winds slabs rest not only on buried basal facets, but also more recent surface facets. Basically, the snowpack is a perfect mess here, and I kept slope angles under 30 today and will continue to do so tomorrow.</p>
Example of widespread sensitive cornices today. This fracture propagated 50 feet. I expect this snow to still be sensitive tomorrow. Winds have died down so I don't expect hazard to increase, but it will remain likely to trigger avalanches on the facets both just under the new loaf and at the base of the snowpack, so I'm calling it considerable hazard.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>High winds and lots of snow to transport, weak underlying snow. Perfect recipe for wind slab avalanches.</p> <p>Advanced, cohesionless facets at the base of the shallow snowpack are ubiquitous.</p>
6 inches of new snow in the East fork drainage, on top of about six inches from the previous storm.