Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Wind Loading, Cracking, Collapsing, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Plenty of red flags to keep me in lower angle terrain. Slide on the N face of Willow Knob from yesterday was especially scary as there were plenty of trees to run into below the start zone.</p>
Just a quick obs from my tour in Willow Fork today. Plenty of cracking and thunderous collapses while breaking trail in protected NW facing trees (see photo). New snow, wind-drifted snow, and the multiple persistent weak layers below the recent snow have made for a frustrating snowpack. There's no way to outsmart these problems for the time being, and with more snow on the way one must be diligent in staying out of avalanche terrain.
Snowpack
South facing slopes exposed to the wind were stripped of all new snow, leaving elevated skin tracks and sastrugi. North facing slopes were filled in with wind-transported snow.