Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Cracking, Rapid Warming
Different day, same avalanche problems. Great skiing on upper elevation E facing terrain, sheltered, low angle is definitely the name of the game. Did not observe any wet sluffs due to warming, with that being said it certainly felt warm enough to affect the snow in the sun. Like I said earlier, I feel the best word to describe the snowpack in the terrain I traveled in today was stubborn. Between our existing snowpack before Monday/Tuesdays storm, and new snow, with wind loading, I thought it would be much more reactive.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Dug a pit North facing in Red Pine at mid elevation and found an upsidedown snowpack with greatest layer of concern between 5-29cm from the ground. New snow fell on faceted layer as well between 40-56cm from the ground. Similar structure at 8700ft as I've found at 9000ft and above. At this location and elevation the PWL did not show any signs of strengthening. Jumped on multiple test slopes both near pit location at 8700ft, and along the Pink Pine ridge without any results. Snowpack was stubborn in the Pink Pine/Red Pine area today on N-NE-E facing slopes. I feel like another significant snowfall, especially one carrying a lot of water, will send this all crashing down. </p> <p>N-E facing terrain was noticeably wind loaded. Wasn't able to kick off anything significant, however these wind slabs can still take you through some nasty terrain if you were to take a ride, and also could trigger that nice PWL we've got goin on. Was surprised that these pockets of wind slabs weren't more reactive, as they too were stubborn. </p>