Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Wind Loading, Rapid Warming
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>The recent avalanche activity that I observed was in the distance and could not verify much other than it is still possible to trigger avalanches on different aspects. The moderate southwest winds were blowing and drifting snow onto the leeward slopes on the north side of the compass. The temperatures were quite warm today, but I did not observe any wet activity due to the elevation I visited. </p>
Not sure the time frame of this slide which looked to be a cornice fall on Double Hill. Unsure if it broke into deeper older snow, but this slope has stayed thin and bushy most of the winter and there was not a lot of snow left to slide.
Maybe some recent slides over in the northwest area of Moffit Peak, one of these looks fairly recent with the toe of the debris easily seen.
The roofs were shedding snow with the warm temperatures.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Lots of avalanche activity reported the last few days and it looks like the tricky snow pack is not to be trusted quite yet. It's easy to get in the mind set of things are ok based on all the slopes that have not avalanched and there are not a lot of red flags to grab your attention. </p> <p>Today's winds were finding snow to blow and drift creating some shallow fresh wind slabs off the ridge lines. </p>
The snow conditions held up pretty well even with just a superficial freeze. It was damp with a melt freeze crust on the sunny aspects, while the north side of the compass had dense settled snow that rode quite well for a good part of the morrning. The winds helped keep the wet activity in check around the Whitney area.