Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Heavy Snowfall, Wind Loading, Cracking
After battling the road which has a solid foot of soft slippery junk on top ice which is in need of a front loader I finally got out and up on the mountain. I found 16" of powder in the drainage up to Manns Peak but out in the open the depth is more like 12". My compression tests were failing on the new snow with about 13 taps but the new snow was just falling apart. No slab...yet and my tests showed good bonding. That said I remained in the low angle alpine and trees all afternoon/early evening. Snow rates were intense at times, 3" an hour but they were more like summer thunder showers coming and going, cells. New snow during the day was about 4 inches above 11k. Total snow depth at 11.25k south west facing was just over three meters. Tomorrow should be great assuming the wind doesn't have it's way this evening. The pic below is of a very small soft wind slab and widespread natural sluffs on a very steep NE facing aspect.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>West winds picked up in the afternoon and started blowing snow around. Slabs formed in the alpine between my laps.</p> <p>The new snow has several density inversions and was cracking under my feet while I was skinning. </p>