Quick report
- Red Flags
- Cracking, Rapid Warming, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Noted widespread weak surface snow, now buried by varying depths of fresh snow and some weak crusts. (1.9" SWE at 8400' Tony Grove Snotel since 3/21). Sandboxing, dog wallow, and difficult trail breaking in north facing terrain above about 7500'. </p>
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>We did not trigger any avalanches, but the snow in north facing terrain is not yet stable. 1 to 2' deep avalanches failing on a widespread shallowly buried persistent weak layer made up of surface hoar and sugary near surface facets remain possible.</p> <p>We could see numerous small and medium sized natural wet loose avalanches entraining fresh wet snow on sunny slopes, starting around noon.</p> <p> </p> <p>Warm temperatures again tomorrow will probably cause the danger to increase once again in sunny terrain, with some natural activity likely. There is not much new snow at lower elevations, but the snow was soft and saturated on most slopes still holding snow by evening.</p>
We found nice, fairly deep powder conditions in north facing upper elevation terrain. Conditions at mid elevations in the evening were treacherous on skis due to a weak and breakable rain-crust under a few inches of new snow. Solid crust at low elevations in the morning, with decent soft and supportable spring conditions on our way out.