Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Widespread pencil hard wind drifts on most aspects. These drifts were shallow - up to 15 cms (6") and mostly smaller pockets. On most slopes, the drifts would only crack around your skis and not propagate very widely. Although the wind slabs weren't that reactive, they are sitting on top of weaker, lower-density snow and may be still be reactive for another day or so.</p>
The following video describes the PWL and how it is spatially variable. Overall, I was quite pleased with the snowpack above 7,500' as it appears to be moving in the right direction as the weak layer continues to gain strength.
Snow surface is another thing with widespread wind affected snow making for challenging ski conditions.
Danger was moderate where we traveled (up to 8,400').
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Pockets of hard wind-drifted snow were found on all aspects at the mid and upper elevations. These drifts were on top of weaker, lower-density snow.</p> <p>The PWL is buried down 100 cms above 7,500 and we could not get any fracturing on this PWL with extended column tests. The PWL is weaker (F-hard) at lower elevations and gains strength (4F+) at higher elevations where there is a deeper and stronger snowpack on top of the PWL.</p>
Pretty much all of the terrain adjacent to Cutler Ridge has been wind-affected. There are some low-elevation, wind-sheltered aspects with pockets of dense snow.
HS 120 cms at 7,000' and 150 cms at 8,000'