Quick report
- Cracking
- isolated
Coverage in the frange remains suspect after Thursday's storm, but riding conditions are improved in protected areas! Thursday's storm also caused some natural slab avalanche activity in wind-loaded terrain. There was light warming throughout the day on solar aspects. Scoped two recent natural slab releases at ridge tops. I popped some D1 loose-dry activity off in steep terrain, and observed limited cracking in wind drifts at all elevations. SW aspects were getting moist by mid-afternoon, but indicated no evidence of wet instabilities.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 29
- Cloud Cover
- few
- Wind Loading
- light
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Warming of SW aspects caused light roller-balling from my turns in the afternoon. No other signs of warming occurred in the Rabbit Creek area.
Snowpack
From Rabbit Creek Trail to ~3500', there was only a dusting of new snow above the old crust outside of isolated drifts. Above ~3500' there was 3-6" of low-density snow above old crusts depending on wind drifting. In sheltered locations above 4000', there was ~8" of heady pow plus some isolated punchy wind slabs above old crusts.
Avalanche
Observed a natural D2 slab release on the top of S Couloir on the N face of Ptarmigan. The crown was in loaded convex terrain, right below ridgetop. A natural D3 slab release on the W face of Bird Ridge Overlook was also visible. It began right below ridgetop on a loaded aspect.