Schneedecke

Observation: Park City Ridgeline

Jake Hutchinson and Cameron BankoSalt Lake
Auf der Karte ansehen

Quick report

Red Flags
Recent Avalanches, Heavy Snowfall, Wind Loading, Cracking, Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comment
<p>Didn't feel any collapses but was nervous enough about remote triggers to give everything over 34 degrees a very wide berth</p>

Sheep shit ridge avalanched to the ground in 2 or 3 separate events, based on snow covering the crowns/bed surfaces.

Large slide on the Wall of Voodoo on Square Top

Another "pocket" on Sheep Shit Ridge into Dense trees, I got caught here in 95, if the slide had been this size, trauma surely wouldve killed me. PIc below is Wilson, looks to have gone early and filled in, also a large crown on SE face of Gobblers but I didn't get a decent pic

Snowpack

Instability Comment
<p>well developed and uniformly distributed basal facets are scary. If you collapse this weak layer, the avalanches will be quite large and likely unsurvivable. I think it will take some time before anything that hasn't avalanched can be trusted. REally struggle with how to rate the danger. I didn't see any naturals occur and I have no doubt that steep slopes were tested without consequence today, but this dragon will sleep sound and bite you when you don't expect it... maybe the first rider, maybe the 20th, maybe after the next storm or two. I am reminded of snow conditions in 04-05...</p> <p>Variety of hardness and density breaks in New snow, didn't see any propagate, but they were quite sensitive in shovel shear tests. I expect this problem to heal quickly, but the cold temps will make it heal slower than we may be used to in these parts.</p>

Variety of layers in the storm snow due to wind, temp etc etc...  After teaching for the previous 5 days in upper LCC, I feel that the PC ridgeline got a bit more snow than what I saw around Alta