Quick report
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Comments below.</p>
Snowpack discussion from newly-minted Level 2 Avalanche Course graduate Vic Heilweil.
Video of ECTP6 illustrating poor snowpack structure.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Very poor snowpack structure found along BCC/MCC ridgeline between Little and Big Water. Height of snow is < 1 meter, and closer to 45-60 cms below 9500' on northerly aspects. 20-45 cms on southerly aspects. </p> <p> </p> <p>We only had one collapse today, but pit results all yielded full propagation with extended column tests and quick tests would get a 30 cm column of snow to fail upon isolation.</p> <p> </p> <p>Weakest snow is the layer of facets underneath storm snow since 12/9. </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Trend is for increasing danger with storm snow and wind-blown snow in the forecast. The 15-30 cm layer of weak snow at the ground on aspects facing northwest through east will likely be quickly overloaded with upcoming storms.</p>
Snow surface has been worked from warm temperatures and winds. The good news is that I was finding faceted snow and depth hoar on the snow surface earlier this week, but warmth and winds have eroded weaknesses at the snow surface. Surfaces on all aspects up to 9,000' were damp. This will be helpful as the current snow surface is unlikely to act as a persistent weak layer with additional storm snow.