Quick report
- Aspect
- North
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Rapid Warming
- Elevation
- 2499 m
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Saw many recent small wet loose avalanches from the warm up after the storm. Saw a couple more sizable wet loose that triggered small slabs and one wet loose on a NE slope below some cliffs. Temps were climbing throughout the day and lower mid elevation solars began to turn by late morning. Tree bombs and running water down limbs was noted earlier in the morning.</p> <p>Danger was likely Low on mid elevation polars today that lacked a slab while certainly moderate on solars by end of day with warming.</p>
Photo 1: small wet loose and some small slab activity
photo 2: surface hoar and polar aspect surface crystals
photo 3: cornice formation
Photo 4: natural wet loose avalanche SW 7500'
photo 5: Jardine
photo 6: Natural loose avalanche NE at about 8200'
Snowpack
This zone had about 12" of settled snow from the last cycle sitting on a thin crust at mid elevations and in protected areas. Minimal wind effect noted other than on ridgelines in isolated pockets.
Lower elevations: solars were dirt or patchy thin spots of snow, polars had a 1-2cm breakable crust on top of small decomposing and faceting snow from last storm topped with varying size surface hoar.
mid elevation solars had a thick and supportable crust that was beginning to corn up at lower-mid elevations around 10am while polars held mostly dry and loose decomposing and faceting snow from last storm cycle.
only barely reached upper elevations today, but as expected, on ridgelines there is some soft and hard isolated wind effect, along with some cornice formation on southerly ridges.
Surface concerns as the next storm rolls in that I'm looking for are bonding to the crust on solars and the settling, but still loose faceted snow on polars at higher elevations creating a weak layer.