Quick report
- Aspect
- North
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Heavy Snowfall, Wind Loading, Cracking, Collapsing, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 2713 m
- Slope Angle
- 22°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Almost all boxes checked today. About 3 feet of new snow with plenty of wind over faceted snow from before the storm is the classic recipe for avalanches. In addition to recent natural avalanches, collapsing and cracking was pretty obvious. In some places the slope would collapse after you had been standing there for a while. To me, that seems to say something about persistent weak layers - they are a unpredictable and can show no obvious instability until you are well out on the slope. </p>
See separate avalanche records for more detail re: avalanches noted on Murdock.
Also of note, Sheep Shit Ridge and Little Water both appear to have avalanched. We were too far away to determine the cause but the aspect and elevation is similar to Murdock.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Today, the persistent weak layer was facets that formed just prior to this large storm. These were still well in the range that could be triggered by a person so have the potential to be very dangerous. I selected decreasing danger but I wouldn't expect that to change very quickly. These will be around for some time.</p> <p>Strong winds from the SW had over loaded several slopes around the Murdock ridgeline. These were all pretty recent so may have been naturally triggered by wind and snow from the front that arrived last night. </p>
Difficult trail breaking. Mostly low density out of the wind and not very slabby so main challenge was volume of snow. Different story in the wind. The dense snow and deep drifts would result in pockets that would nearly swallow a skier..
Skiing conditions much better start that in many years, however, not quite enough cover for all the deadfall.