Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Cracking, Collapsing
- Red Flags Comment
- <p> I noted an upside down snowpack with cracking and collapsing especially where older snowpack was a bit thinner and wind drifted snow had stacked up.</p>
On Saturday, we were traversing under cliffs onto the NE Face of Sunset Peak and I noted two audible collapses with shooting cracks. The snow was very hard to skin through since it was so upside down and when I got to some steeper thinner spots it collapsed. I dug a quick pit and noted a ~30cm of drifted snow on top of 30-40cm of weaker F- snow. This weaker snow was loose and cold.
We opted to ski lower angle and less connected terrain.
I had my hunches about the weakening snow from the very cold clear period before but didn't expect to find it so in my face here. Although this might not be everywhere I think we should be carefully evaluating this now buried snow as more weather comes in.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Heavy cohesive snow that fell on light cold snow yielded an upside down snow pack.</p> <p>In Days Fork on Friday and Sunset Peak on Saturday, I noted snow that appeared to be faceted. I didn't break out a loop to confirm, but from looking and feeling this snow, it seemed it had weakened a bit with the clear, calm, and cold. The wet heavy snow that fell on this this Saturday was producing cracking and collapsing in certain locations with this strong over weak setup.</p>