Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Heavy Snowfall, Cracking, Rapid Warming
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>The main reactive snow today seemed to be a storm slab that was running on a density change about 4~6" deep. Largest pocket pulled out was maybe 30' wide and ran a little ways entraining surface snow but not steping down deeper into the new snow. These were very managable but could entrain a bit of snow and pull a skier off their feet and drag them. Seemed to only strart moving about 40* and steeper. Lots of cracking and shooting cracks at ~35* slopes but wouldn't run. Observed quite a few small slabs that appear to have ran during the storm probably on the graupel due to where they were (below cliffs on Cardiac and N Superior).</p>
Picture of 6" deep, ~30' wide slab that came out while skiing and entrained a enough snow to grab me before cutting out of it (upper right of photo next to tree.) Picture of the soft slab storm slabs that were reactive today in second picture.
I would be most concerned with LW activity tomorrow with the amount of new snow and cold snow left to warm up with the strong April sun.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>My main concern today was avoiding the solar slopes when the sun came out with this much new snow and this time of year. I was glad to see the sun obscured most of the day, but that leaves plenty of cold snow on the East aspects tomorrow that could be a problem in the morning. </p> <p>Not much of a cohesive slab, but just enough to have smaller pockets run today on the density change. Expect this to settle out overnight.</p>
Lots of new light to medium powder this morning. Seemed to be about 20"-24" above about 9k'. For looking at the wind data overnight was surprised to see not much wind effect where traveling today. Stayed off the bottom other than steeper south faces, but still phenomenal skiing!! Few inches of graupel above the old snow and a density change in the storm snow about 4-6"down. SSW seemed to be getting a little damp at 15:00, but East remained cold and skied great at 15:30.