Quick report
- Aspect
- Northwest
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Wind Loading, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 2957 m
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Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Spatial variability of the supportability of the Christmas Eve Rain Crust (CERC) is the main question with the PWL. In many areas—the majority, from what I've observed in the Salt Lake zone—the crust is stout, supportable, and unlikely to allow for a rider to trigger a persistent slab avalanche on the weak snow below. However, there are areas—like where this avalanche was triggered above Brown Spot—where the supportability of the crust varies, and it's still <em>possible </em>to trigger a large slide on the PWL. The characteristics of this terrain are steep, northerly (NW-N-NE) terrain, typical below ridgelines near rocks where the snowpack may be thinner. While we weren't able to get close enough to inspect the crown, we were able to glass to see that the original slide likely broke near the ground on weak, old snow. There were many tracks on other parts of the slope, so we cannot say for certain if it was remotely triggered, triggered by a skier/rider, etc. </p> <p>There also are facets developing below the CERC, which will be something to keep an eye on. </p> <p>We observed active wind loading near ridgeline with sensitive, shallow slabs. </p>
We came to the area to get eyes on the avalanche in Hidden Canyon above Brown Spot that Public Observer Chester reported to us yesterday, that likely ran on Tuesday on a NE-facing slope near 10,100 feet (see his ob HERE). A huge thanks to Brighton Snow Safety Director Malia Bowman for welcoming us for a visit. Getting near the flank of the slide, we observed previous wind loading from earlier in the day as well as active transport building notable wind slabs in the start zone. While we weren't able to get into the crown of the slide, we approached from below from a safe distance and were able to poke into the snow on a comparable aspect, at a slightly lower elevation.
HS varied 40-55cm, with 4-5 inches of fresh new snow falling throughout our day. On a NNW-facing slope near 9700', we were not able to get full propagation, but were able to initiate a fracture on weak snow below the CERC in snowpack tests.