Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Heavy Snowfall, Wind Loading, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Avalanches hitting the road in lcc... 2" of water in 15" of snow in 48 hours. Nuking winds out of the WNW. Digging revealed an alarming facet crust combo. Find the wind find avalanches.</p>
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>I only traveled on the south aspects today. I caught news there were large propagating avalanches on south-facing avalanche paths during control work in LCC and was curious what allowed these to propagate so far releasing enough snow to hit the road. When I dug down on the emmas I was finding a temperature crust that formed before this storm cycle and underneath the crust found some small grained facets and low-density powder. I was out of the wind zone and did not find a slab therefore, I was not getting propagation in my ECT. I believe if you find the wind (slab) you can find larger connected avalanches that fail underneath the unsupportable crust where weaker snow is present. With the forecasted winds to remain high out of the northwest I am avoiding exposed steep south aspects where wind-driven slabs of snow will be very sensitive to the weight of skier or boarder. Lose the wind and find excellent right side up powder.</p>
Excellent turning conditions with right side up powder conditions. Warm snow from yesterday bonded well to crust on the south and was capped with 8-10 inches of lower density snow on top. Noted Loose Dry (slough) in the steeper terrain. No connected storm slabs.