Quick report
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Similiar snow pack structure with a dense slab over the weak early season snow near the ground. The ECT scores were a little lower in this area with ECTP 14 and 16.</p>
Old news, but noticed this old natural avalanche that fits the description Craig has been talking about in his forecasts. Steep rocky and thin places where a cornice or rock fall may have triggered this avalanche.
The upper elevation terrain around Bald Mt. has really been worked over with winds and the snow is still on the thin side.
I took a quick look on the cold shady north side of Bald Mt. and it did not look very inviting with lots of rocks still and the aprons below Reids Peak looked like it had gone through a natural avalanche cycle during the stormy period.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>It felt like the snow pack at this higher elevation was a bit more reactive with snow pit tests and a slightly more shallow snow depth. The hazard could be a bit more elevated in this area, but getting into avalanche terrain is pretty limited with lots of big rocks and punchy snow around vegetation. </p>
Snow conditions around the Bald Mt. area are quite different than what I observed in Whitney Basin. The snow pack is a bit more shallow and much of the exposed terrain has really been worked over by east and northwest winds. The surface snow is weak from the extended high pressure we are having and there is some rock hard wind board mixed in.