Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Heavy Snowfall, Rapid Warming
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Today, Thursday 4-6-23 it was clear all day, cold in the morning, with solar warming as the day progressed. I was fairly surprised at how much new snow there was. In places I could punch a leg 26" deep. I could find surface Sun-crusts in some areas, but not in others. I spent over an hour digging out the up-slope of the narrow dugway north of Second Right Hand Overlook. There had been at least 2 people step off the edge lately. There would be around 20" of dry powder on top. A wide section of 'quiet' facets. Then about a yard deep I found some large damp facets.</p> <p> </p> <p>Higher slopes are well loaded. At least on Thursday morning it was squeeky-snow cold and most of the new pack was cold, dry, and unconsolidated. There were areas of dry sluffs on the east side of Squaw Peak and Y Mountan from Wednesday. The open area just East of Hale Draw had heated up enough on Wednesday that it triggered and slid. North aspect, shallow, with a yard+ of Mashed Potato debris at the base of the slope. (120' from the trail)</p> <p>Rapid Warming, Trigger Run, Repeat.</p> <p> </p> <p>While I was working on the dugway, I heard the first avalanche run down the West Branch of the Crows Foot Couloir. (at 11:50 am) It was triggered by heating but still fairly dry. It repeated over 10 times in the next couple of hours. At some point the Grr Couloir ran lower. I saw a minor repeat later.</p> <p> </p> <p>I had a needed snack at the West Campground. Then spent some time packing 150' of the trail East. Things started hoppin'. The open patch East of the Campground avalanched, shallow & dry. (map pin) It widened out to 200' and swept to the bottom. The cascades on the steep cliffs East & North started triggering with the afternoon warming. I lost count,, a bunch. One fanned out off a 200' cliff. Then a larger rumbler shot out in profile with darker gray. (usually larger ice facets) The next 45 minutes I saw or heard one cascade after another. Most notably on the West Southwest aspect. And silence to the South from Provo Peak's NW flank.</p> <p> </p> <p>Eventually it was time to bug out. As I dropped lower the signs of afternoon warming increased. The dugway slope formed some very large pinwheels. A pair on skis would kick up some damp snow when they cut into the pack next</p> <p>to the trail. Some steep north aspects had fresh rollers. I watched a cluster of rollers coming down Hale Draw.</p> <p> </p> <p>With the increasing temperatures the next four days, I'll probably head somewhere without overhead concerns this weekend.</p>