Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Structure did not look as bad as I expected. Wind loading noted up high. </p>
Photos:
Note orange sign - "Caution - low tide"
Good skiing in UFO bowl that had naturalled a couple weeks ago.
Squint to see drifting along high ridgelines.
Danger possibly areas of Considerable with wind drifting for Thursday?
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Despite southerly aspects being cooked, the southwest winds found enough dry snow for wind slab development in the high terrain. </p> <p>Slab seemed deteriorated and relaxed but possible in isolated terrain. See profiles below. This, however, the culprit in size 3 natural avalanches from the Jan 8-10 cycle in the two southern-most UFO bowls. Didn't appear that the main bowl had avalanched. </p>
6" settled snow from the weekend storm, capped by 3mm SH. Excellent skiing conditions. Damp on southerly aspects. Would expect the SH to degrade with sun, wind, warmth. Snowpack did not look as bad as expected - though I likely expected the worst. HS~60 and 75cm at 8240' and 8900', respectively.
Jan 8/9 rain crust up to 8500'; lower elevation snowpack looked worse than upper one; however my sense is that other profiles elsewhere in Provo would show poor structure.