Snowpack

Observation: Scotts Bowl

Hardesty and NicollSalt Lake
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Quick report

Red Flags
Recent Avalanches, Poor Snowpack Structure
Elevation
2957 m
Red Flags Comment
<p>Poor structure. Weak snow. Recent avalanches include skier triggered size 1 long running facet sluffs (see clicked Recent Avalanches above).</p>

Travel was from Guardsman Pass to Scott Pass and up to Scott Bowl to look at yesterday's reported wind slab avalanche. Best I could tell, it - along with four others - were skier triggered long running facet sluffs in the upper 5" of facets and low density snow.

Weak snow abounds

= on our northerlies, we found areas of intact surface hoar buried from Sunday/Monday's meager 1-2" of snow. This new snow was subsequently capped early this morning with a new crop of surface hoar along our travels. It may all be academic as the facets and SH will be intermixed.

= on some west to southwest facing slopes, as Greg Gagne noted almost a week ago, we also found intact radiation recrystallization facets above the crust, protected by the recent 1-2" of snow. See two photos below of RR facets written in the facets above the mf crust and the skiff above the mf crust in the 'pit'.

Snowpack

Trace to 2 inches of snow capped with a new crop of surface hoar