Quick report
- Aspect
- Northwest
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Cracking, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 3018 m
- Slope Angle
- 30°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Winds were forming cornices on the ridges and affecting lower elevation non-sheltered slopes as well. I got a small amount of localized cracking on my ascent. The poor snowpack structure hasn't gotten any better since yesterday.</p>
Noticed a bit of rime on the trees.
Cornice building and natural cornice fall with no results.
Traveled from 7600-10,200 ft., north half of the compass, slope angles to 38°.
Weakest layer in snowpit tests was under the rime crust failing with moderate effort. Deeper facet layers only failed with hard whacks from the shoulder and just mushed out on the column. No result in ECT tests.
Still not enough new water weight to overload the weak layers in the snowpack. Maybe this weekend?
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Winds were definitely moving snow today and I imagine S, SE and E facing slopes off of open ridges will have shallow, sensitive drifts.</p>
A little difficult to say how much new snow fell today due to the wind but I'd say about 4"-5" on top yesterday's 1" above 9K.
Another good day of skiing.