Quick report
- Aspect
- East
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading
- Elevation
- 2835 m
- Slope Angle
- 21°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>We did not see any recent avalanche activity or obvious signs of instability</p>
I brought firefighters from the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest up to upper Providence Canyon to check on a wildfire near the warming hut that was reported on Saturday afternoon. Amazingly, and proving the exceptionally dry conditions, the fire was still smoldering today, even after a recent winter snow storm storm and sub zero temperatures. Two fairly large live trees were burnt up, and the human started fire was still smoldering today in the root-ball of one of them.
There were many areas where you would sink into shallowly buried faceted snow when you hopped off your sled. I was able to find the weaker sugary layer by feel in many places as I traveled across terrain by poking the snow with my ski pole.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Drifts or wind slabs are starting to build up on weak faceted snow in places. Triggered avalanches are possible, and the problem is getting worse not better. The problem of wind slabs forming on facets will likely soon be better explained as a buried persistent weak layer problem.</p>
Dust-on-crust conditions where you could feel underlying snow that was for the most part crusty and tracked out. Some softer underlying snow exists in sheltered shady terrain, and lower angle slopes offer the best riding conditions. In many areas I could stick my pole down into shallowly buried loose faceted snow.