Quick report
We observed unreactive wind features in some middle elevation terrain. Crusts in the upper snowpack did not produce unstable snowpack test scores. Weak snow at the ground (~4' deep) appeared to be healing and unlikely to trigger where the snowpack is uniformly thick.
I heard one small wet loose near Crown Point.Weather
- Air Temp
- near 40 F
- Cloud Cover
- clear
- Wind Loading
- previous
- Recent Snowfall
- 0
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Clear and mostly calm. Inverted temperatures never seemed to mix out. It was much cooler at low elevations all day.
Snowpack
Below 8,000': Snow surfaces were an unconsolidated mix of facets and surface hoar atop the stout 12/24 crust. This would be alarmingly weak if loaded as is. Despite a warm day, this setup looked much the same as we exited.
Above 8,000': We found unreactive wind features and a thickening slab. We targeted a location where the two prominent upper pack crusts were thin (WSW @ 8,500'). The uppermost was associated with very small facets and produced rough shears in small column tests but did not propagate. The lower crust was well bonded.
We also targeted a location where basal facets existed (WNW @ 9,100'). Here we found the basal facets to be moist and rounding. Human triggering in areas with a uniformly thick slab like this one (125 cm thick, P at the base) is unlikely.
Avalanche
- Size
- D2
- Count
- 8
- Aspect
- E
- Trigger
- N
- Elevation
- 9500 ft
Some small wet loose around Boulder Pk from today and yesterday, but primarily roller balls. Large reported slides are from the Christmas holiday storm.