Quick report
- Red Flags
- Collapsing, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>I had numerous collapses today where my added weight on the slab was too much for the poor snow pack structure. I did observe one old natural avalanche on an east facing slope along the ridgeline where a cornice broke off and hit the slope below gouging into the weak snow.</p>
Despite the thin snow cover the groomer was still able to make a pass on the north slope road and the trail today was quite nice.
Early season conditions with only about 20" or so once I got into the Mill Creek drainage. Much of the south facing terrain is very thin to no snow at all
Just some minor wind slabs along the ridgelines, these did not seem to have much energy in them.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>The winds from early in the week have created a slab on much of the snowpack where I traveled today in the Mill Creek area. I had lots of cracking and collapsing today where the slab is sitting on a very weak snowpack.</p> <p>A quick dig with the shovel reveals a weak snowpack with lots of fist density sugary snow that will struggle to support added weight from future snow and wind. </p>
The small storm from Monday night delivered a nice 4" of medium density snow out in the Mill Creek drainage. The conditions were not all that bad considering the lack of snow this season. I did not venture off the trail all that much with the sled today, but it was a mix of somewhat supportable snow and plenty of sugary weak snow top to bottom.