Quick report
- Aspect
- North
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 2865 m
- Slope Angle
- 15°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>spaitial variability to the extreme really the norm for upper elevations, windslabs over facets the typical setup with every possible variation in thickness, but strong over weak the rule. very sheltered N through NW now 14"-16' deep above 9000' and rotting away from the ground and from the surface, seems upper layers are progressing faster. Odd loading could leave landmines in areas not usually a problem, steep wind loaded WNW through N slopes, with slabs all the more stubborn, and consequences serious because of exposed rock, stumps, and windfall still all exposed. </p>
tried to find deepest snow not wind effected to assess overall changes, not surprised with our results. We gingerly linked a few turns in gentle terrain, but experience best described as if someone was dancing on our video player controls, fast forward, pause, slow mo, even rewind, all changing from one turn to the next (herky jerky comes to mind). Our greatest suspect for activity in the future, when and if we get snow, is going to be the WNW through N slopes that are holding snow now.
Beacon Basin is up and running and we took advantage for a few drills, multiple burial tests, etc. Great job guys for getting it set up, hope more use it!
More sheltered and extreme terrain is still bare with wildly spaced chunks of wind slab cross loaded in odd areas
closer look at wind stripped terrain, never mind the shadows of strange beings
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>good bed surfaces with stout wind crusts and faceting snow on top scattered out amongst the sastrugi, dirt, rocks and bushes on NE through WNW aspects, very weak snow down in sheltered areas. </p>
East hurricane winds last week a little odd for plateau, the damage is done, scoured usual cornices backwards eroding them away and pummeling the ridgetops to dirt, with only <2' of snow to work with, sublimation also at work, hard to figure where the snow has gone. Access extremely limited due to lack of snow cover, some machines getting out on flats and off ridges, but do not feel they could get to pockety hazards due to dry ground in between, will take another (and bigger) storm to allow access. Much like people were getting out a month ago in the Central Wasatch, it is good to have a look around after the last wind event to remember where things were white, and where they were brown.
We did experience a single "snappy" collapse today in sheltered flats that made a sound like crunching snow, not the usual low frequency noise.
40 cm of snow at Miller Flat snowstake, varied depth is still well under 2' and more like 14"-16"
We need another 1' or so more to even make the grassy slopes safe enough to ski with any abandon.