Quick report
- Aspect
- Northwest
- Red Flags
- Rapid Warming, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Slope Angle
- 15°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>a few wet releases around rocks throughout the afternoon. nothing observed large enough to bury a person. still the same rotten snow down low. wasn't really finding any overly cohesive slab sitting atop it today. perhaps the last storm didn't create quite enough to create a good slab. still enough to keep the steeper north facing slopes off limits for now. did find a buried surface hoar layer ~30 cm down and was getting energetic test results on it in the pits. shovel tilt tests produced extremely planar Q1 sheers. this layer was extremely spatially variable. with all the talk about buried facets, forgetting or ignoring issue could be an issue</p>
helped teach u of u snow and avalanche class in the PM. this pit was dug down low in a shallower but interesting portion of the slope. multiple buried weak layers proving reactive to tests. took densities throughout the pack to help facilitate a discussion on why avalanches can be so destructive/the impact pressures so high. there's a lot of mass in this persistent slab! truly high consequence
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>didn't really find a good slab on top of the old snow but i imagine its still out there and still potent</p> <p>with more warm/ clear weather in the forecast, this issue may arise. i don't think its a large concern though unless you're right below it. </p>
melt freeze crust on the surface in shaded places, warm mush in the sun. facets throughout the snowpack. good riding on shaded north facing.