Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>With light density snow everywhere it wasn't tough for the wind to form soft, shallow drifts on the upper elevation N and E facing terrain. The drifts were sensitive, cracking out easily just approaching them. Generally about 6 inches deep and confined to the immediate lee. Very easily managed. </p>
Photos below of wind loading along the upper Wilson ridge, small wind slabs near the top of the ridge, and distance shot showing sluffing in Alexander Basin.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>As described above, very small and manageable soft slabs, running very short distances (see photo). </p> <p>Didn't check snowpack structure above as the new light density snow has just not formed a slab yet. However, with stable snow and great conditions it's easy to forget that the stability is only due to the lack of a slab. Plenty of very weak snow everywhere in Wilson, particularly around the various crusts. The snow forecasted may finally give us the slab we have been lacking and will take a conscious effort to step things back a bit. Maybe not by Thursday, but possibly by Friday or Saturday. </p>
Tough to tell how much new in the past 24, but just seemed like a couple to three inches.