Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Rapid Warming, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Poor snowpack continues to be related to easy shears with slope cuts, and widespread avalanching at the old snow/new snow surfaces. In the am before the new snow became damp, Dry Loose Avalanches and sensitive shallow Soft Slabs were active. Then once the new snow became damp and or wet, Wet Loose Avalanches and Wet Slabs were active. </p>
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>As stated above Wet Loose Avalanches were active and they were entraining significant amounts of snow upon descent, especially on the northerly aspects. Sluff management was necessary to avoid problems. </p> <p>And in some very steep areas propagation and Wet Slab activity was initiated with slope cuts. </p> <p>Isolated pockets of Wind Slab were possible in the upper elevation exposed terrain from top and cross loading from the N and NW overnight winds. </p> <p>Very little natural activity was observed, and as a result the Danger appeared to be a fairly widespread Moderate on Sunday.</p> <p>For Monday, the Danger may be mostly related to any new snow issues; and if the forecast of snow comes in lower than actual new snow totals the Danger may raise to Considerable during periods of heavy PI. If this does not occur the Danger may continue to be Moderate for Isolated Wind Slabs, Wet Loose on Southerly exposures as well as mid elevations with rising temperatures, and Loose Dry on upper elevation steep terrain on the northerly aspects. </p>
Once again the overnight winds out of the NW damaged/altered significant amounts of the snow surface at upper elevation exposed areas. Damage was not as severe as on Friday, but wind crusts, and slabs were observed; and the riding was challenging in some of this terrain. Low angle riding in the limited amounts of new snow was good on east and south aspects that did not have any old ruts and or tracks. Due northerly facing terrain rode the best early in the day. Yet, by 1330 with the cloud cover moving in there was a definite period of greenhousing that was occurring. Even on due north facing terrain with slope angles of 35 degrees and greater, at 9900 feet, the top 5 cm got damp. High relative humidity overnite combined with the winds made for the new snow to be more dense than it would have been otherwise. By the end of the day all aspects up to 10000 feet were damp and or wet.