Quick report
- Red Flags
- Heavy Snowfall, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Obivious signs of instability are not "in your face" as much now. I couldn't get any collapsing or cracking. I'm confident that there was a widespread avalanche cycle at some point during the Christmas storm, but those slides have been buried by subsequent snowfall and wind blown snow. Also the snowpack is very supportable (great for the riding) so it's getting harder to impact the weak layer near the ground and trigger collapses or avalanches. </p>
Below is my pit from a west facing slope near treeline
Below is my pit from a southeast facing slope near treeline.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>I was looking for PWL on W and SE facing slopes, and I found it. This layer will heal in the future becuase it has such a thick blanket of snow on top of it now.</p> <p>There are many obvious difts....especially near Bald Mtn Pass and Lilly lake where the wind always blows. HOWEVER, the tricky part is that recent snow has camouflaged many less obvious drifts. They should be bonding to the underlying snow very soon. The main problem with wind deposited snow is that it is adding extra weight and stress to the PWL near the ground. </p>
About a foot of setttled powder.