Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Poor Snowpack Structure
1. Birthday bowls from the park.
2. North Birthday bowl last year (1/18/17).
3. What the normally smooth Cutler Ridge looks like now.
4. Surface hoar forming and ready to be sandwiched between any new snow and the bomber crust.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>A pit at 8200 feet near the upper weather station found 100cm of snow with the 4 inch rain crust nearly impenatrable at about 5 inches down. As it stands now, I could not affect the poor snow below this crust layer with any amount of pounding or jumping. I believe the present hazard is low where I was (below 8500ft.) At the lower elevations the surface is crusted and not supportable. The entire low elevation snow pack is of very poor quality with faceted fist (or hoof) density snow. I question how much new snow this can take if it ever snows. </p>
I went up to ski the birthday bowls for the 32nd year on my birthday (well, almost as I work tomorrow). Below 7500 ft there is very little coverage and very much adult skiing with a 2 inch breakable crust that is impossible to turn in and infact the moose were struggling with their post holing. From 8500-7500 the crust is supportable with various amounts of surface hoar and left over old storm snow to turn on.
Forecaster comment: Happy Birthday and thanks for the great photos!