Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Heavy Snowfall, Cracking, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Point releases and slabs were observed from a distance, presumably naturals from overnight. Winds did not effect the new snow at mid elevations and in sheltered areas, but ridges and peaks had visible snow transport. </p>
Stopping to dig a pit was challenging today, as the quality of skiing was enough to discourage stepping off the skintrack. Nonetheless we made time to dig a quick pit and our findings are in line with what has been recorded throughout the year. Buried facets and crust beneath a cohesive slab. HS at 10,100 ft on a N aspect was 180cm. New snow was sitting on a thin wind skin that was not noted in the thick sheltered trees.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>In sheltered trees, cracking in the new snow was observed, apparent precursors to longer running natural sluffs. In steeper rollovers sluffs were easily provoked but did not run far given the generally low angle terrain we skied in. Driving down from the trailhead a large point release was observed that ran at least a couple hundred feet, although its magnitude was tough to determine from such a distance. We found settlement cones in the sunny aspens and imagine the new snow will settle quickly. </p> <p>No surprise here. Given the low density of the new snow I can't imagine storm snow will be enough to trigger a slide deeper down in the snowpack, but with so much light snow available for transport I would be very concerned about wind slabs triggering a slide in buried weak layer. </p>
Woke up to a foot of cold smoke. On solar aspects that had a crust prior to the new snow the old surface was easily felt underneath my skis. On northerly aspects that had a soft surface riding felt bottomless.