Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>We went to look at the recent avalanche that caught 4 people ascending the east ridge of the Pfeifferhorn.</p>
Winds blew strong all yesterday and overnight. Even at lower parts of the Red Pine drainage, there was plenty of evidence of wind as the skin track was filled in (first photo).
Slopes receiving more direct sunshine like the west facing one in the photo had roller balls and just a few small, loose wet avalanches (second photo).
On our way to the Pfeifferhorn, we gained the ridge where there had been obvious wind scouring (first photo). However, there is plenty of evidence of wind drifted snow. Notice the obvious drifts in the second photo. There were slowing increasing clouds from the south during the day (third photo).
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>I find that slabs of wind drifted snow are hard to judge and assess. You can jump on many small drifts on small test slopes, or you may even ride over recent ones and none will produce an avalanche....until another one does. How quickly they bond to underlying snow is difficult to know. If for any reason there are facets underneath, then they will remain unstable for some time. If not, they may stabilize in 24-48 hours. While they are growing and winds are transporting snow, there is no reason to trust them.</p> <p> </p> <p>We went to look at the east ridge of the Pfeifferhorn where 4 people were caught in an <a href="https://utahavalanchecenter.org/avalanche/61102">avalanche</a> yesterday.</p> <p> </p> <p>Today, I think many of these wind slabs have begun bonding. Probably ones on E, S, & W aspects where they received direct sunshine and more warmth have bonded. The ones I would be less likely to trust would be ones on northerly facing slopes. Tomorrow, they will have likely bonded even more.</p> <p> </p> <p>We did a few snowpack tests (ECT's) on slopes with wind drifted snow. We did not get any of these slabs to fracture in our tests but that doesn't mean much to me. The main strategy is to wait a number of days after winds have been transporting snow and forming these wind slabs. Wait even longer if you plan on going to slopes where the consequences of a small slide are severe.</p>
Good powder is hard to find. Up high, the snow has been raked by strong winds on Sunday. Lower down, the snow has gotten wet from warm temps. Dense powder can be found in places at upper elevations sheltered from both sun and wind.