Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Relatively stable conditions. A very small amount of wind loaded snow on the near-vertical sides of some this area's wave features, but not really much of a concern at present.</p> <p>Additional caution advised if solid night-time refreezes do not occcur.</p>
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>As the snow surface continues to soften during the day, wet snow slides are a possibility especially on the steeper slope areas. </p>
A propitious blend of a night's hard freeze, the day's strong sun, and light west wind cooked up a beautiful batch of baby's-butt smooth corn by late morning on this delightful descent of about 1000 vertical from Porky Point (9292') into the heart of upper Burch Creek Canyon following the amazing S-facing feature known locally as "GR's Wave."
The stark, treeless, lunar terrain of upper Burch Creek Canyon, or Snowbain's "Backside", is characterized by a series of parallel, broad, mostly S through W-facing steep ridges and gulleys, continuous 30-40 degrees, which converge eventually into a giant, natural halfpipe feature in the lower reaches. No place to be in less than stable conditions! Coal-black rock outcrops punctuate the surreal feeling of this white world hanging above greening Ogden.
The NW and SW winds which buffet this side of Mt. Ogden all winter strip snow from the broad ridges and deposit it on the sides of the deep gullies forming cross-loaded wave-like walls of snow, dense and compacted. An excellent recipe for the Spring corn machine!