Quick report
- Cracking
- specific
- Collapsing
- specific
Thin hard slabs and windboard were producing some shooting cracks and collapses on a couple of westerly facing slopes.
Weather
- Cloud Cover
- scattered
- Wind Loading
- previous
- Recent Snowfall
- 1
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Overcast in the morning, decreasing to clear in the afternoon. Steady moderate winds at 11,250. Most of the blowing snow had already occurred, but a few peaks were still managing to produce snow plumes near sunset.
Snowpack
The winds are, of course, wrecking many snow surfaces. At lower elevations, the open areas have a mix of wind-affected snow with thin hard slabs or windboard on the lee sides of small terrain features. Surface conditions become far more wind-affected, or wind-eroded, as you climb in elevation. I was surprised to still find some soft snow surfaces on a couple of concave westerly avalanche paths around 11,000ft. Of course, all the wind effects were still around that area. Northerly facing slopes were in the shade in the afternoon, and I couldn't see the snow surface textures from afar.