Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>No new avalanches, cracking, collapsing or whomping observed today, yet the Sunset Slide is indicative of the Isolated lingering hazard/danger that may be found on shallow/rocky/steep terrain on the upper elevation polars where the rain crust is thin. </p> <p>No wet activity observed today, yet this tour did not travel in any steep areas that were receiving direct solar input. </p>
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>See above for the Isolated possibility of P Slab. </p>
Damp snow observed on the solars. Wind swept areas continue to display the shiny, slick and or slippery rain crust. Settled storm snow ranged from 20 to 40 cm with areas that had received a little help from the wind having even more depth. Bottomless riding was excellent in settled powder on the NE, N and NW slopes, with no bottom feeding observed for the first time since the storm. The interface to the rain crust appeared to not present as much of a travel problem on the polars that were holding at least 20cm of new snow. As stated above, in those areas that had been thinned and or stripped by the wind, the slick rain crust continues to present dangerous slide for life potential. Of note: Recrystallized Graupel at this interface appeared to becoming weaker, and it was exhibiting the early stages of faceting. Hand and shovel shears could induce shears, yet there was no cohesive slab of consequence. Also of note is the weakening of the surface snow on all aspects except the steep SE and S.