Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Poor Snowpack Structure
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Snow pit on WSW at 8940 with HS: 110 indicated Crust Facet sandwiches that yielded: CTH SP at the height of 87 cm in a density break in the latrest storm snow, separated by a thin layer of buried wind slab. Of concern was the ECTP28 at the height of 45 cm which broke below the pre-storm m/f crust in 1.5 to 2 mm facets that were only showing signs of slightly rounding; these grains were well formed. Obviously this location was isolated and appeared to be shallow due to periods of afternoon solar combined with previous periods of wind erosion. Yet this this location was not typically an area of exposed intense winds. Not enough load in these kinds of isolated/specific locations, but it appears that we are still not rid of the Near Crust Facet Problem yet on E, SE, S, SW and WSW in some locations. </p> <p>Loose Dry appeared to be an issue on very steep terrain on all aspects early in the day, but this most likely will not be an issue on the S aspects after Saturdays solar.</p> <p> </p> <p>Wet Loose will continue to be an issue on SE, S, SW and WSW in steep terrain on Sunday, and this issue will be increasing with daytime heating and solar. </p>
Thin skin of m/f formed due to solar on S and SSW by the end of the day. Dense settled powder elsewhere, besides in the upper elevations where there was wind scouring and dense stiff/stubborn/ isolated pockets of pencil hard wind slab.