Quick report
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Roughly 140cm (50") snow depth in this location with some weak layers near the surface and the buried surface hoar about a foot down from the snow surface. A 1 finger hard slab through the mid-pack with weak faceted sugary snow near the old crusts. </p>
Low clouds and moist air created a thin rime crust in the higher terrain creating frosted trees and limited visibility.
A thin rime crust developed which may become a slick bed surface with additional snow.
Moderate stability with tests and no clean cracks or propagation on the buried weak sugary snow around the middle of the pack.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Locations where the snow pack is thinner and weak faceted is more developed would be likely places where an avalanche could be triggered on the persistent weak layers in the snow pack. </p>
Above 9,000' a moist rime cloud layer settled in for a good portion of the day around Hayden Pass/Steiner area. The snow surface developed a thin rime crust mainly in the open areas, with some dense settled snow in very protected places. Not an issue on a sled, but tricky to get around on skis or board.