Quick report
- Aspect
- Northwest
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Wind Loading, Cracking, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 3018 m
- Slope Angle
- 20°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>One recent very minor slab on an east facing aspect from a cornice drop, viewed from a distance only ran <100'. Wind was loading some west and north aspects, occasional plumes. Some localized cracking along the ridgetops. Weak snow pack is more of a red flag for the future.</p> <p>Overall all red flags were minor, greatest hazard is low snow.</p>
Went on a mission to go ski some big south lines, mission failed due to low snow cover.
Photos:
The elusive yours truly battling rime crust (JSC photo)
Nuked snow on summit of Flat Top, looking east.
Thin cover at 9400, note that this elevation in BCC has at least 4-5' of cover.
Generally a moderate danger at most.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>New wind slabs in exposed areas. Moderate</p> <p>In areas containing enough snow, based on the fact that I was not able to isolate an ECT on a NW aspect. I don't think that most areas have the energy to propagate wide.</p>
Wanted to compare to the Wasatch snowpack but hard to correlate so here are the facts:
Below 8500', 6-7" of weak faceting snow over a very supportable frozen base.
8500 to 9000' 7-8" of same weak faceting snow.
Above 9000', very variable, generally weak, easy to punch through to the ground and hollow or bushy areas. HS <24". South aspects contained facet crust sandwiches, very variable. Somewhat supportable while skiing/skiing
Some areas of wind crusts in exposed areas above 9500'. breakable and punchy underlain by weak faceted snow. Some areas not supportable.
Areas above 9500' in somewhat wind sheltered treed areas was a bit deeper (see profile).
Overall a really thin weak snow pack not ready for prime time. Snotel site reports about normal to slightly low snow pack for the range right now.