Quick report
- Aspect
- Northwest
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 2682 m
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>We didn't observe any red flags other than poor snowpack structure in our pits. The signs of instability are not obvious until you get beneath the snow surface.</p>
We went to the Logan Peak area to check out how the strong East winds last night and this morning affected the snow surface. Slopes exposed to this wind were stripped of soft snow and peppered with raised tracks. Excellent riding conditions exist on slopes protected from the wind. At upper elevations, we dug and probed to observe the early season storms that have rotted away into weak, faceted snow. ECTs propagated within this weak snow with moderate force (ECTP 19 and ECTP21 @ 25 cm above the ground), and we still don't trust them in this area. Additionally, we observed multiple road-cut pockets that that popped out on these basal facets from a snowcat up the trail ahead of us (a few pictures below).
Conditions like these reiterate the importance of digging beneath the snow surface. We did not observe any recent avalanche activity or collapsing in our travels, but as soon as we dug to the ground the poor structure was obvious. In the Logan Peak area, the snowpack is shallower than the central Bear River range, and therefore more concerning. Dangerous avalanches are possible on upper-elevation slopes harboring weak, faceted snow close to the ground. These avalanches will be easier to trigger in areas with a shallow snowpack, in areas that have been stripped by the wind, or areas close to cliff/rock bands. However, a ton of fun can be had in non-avalanche terrain, or at lower elevations where these facets are not present.
Snowpack
Excellent riding conditions on slopes protected from the wind.