Quick report
- Aspect
- West
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 2652 m
- Slope Angle
- 35°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>We have been observing poor structure at the base of the snowpack which is a series of crusts and facets with overlying storm snow on it that has been settling out with a warming trend since Jan 8th, but do not yet have the load on top to be observing any sizeable avalanches on the W-N-E portion of the compass between 8k' and 9.5k'.</p>
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Poor structure noted, although the christmas melt freeze crust is beginning to break down in stoutness and in grain type and now presents more as clustered rounds. The New Year's rain crust is easy to find with facets noted above and below. Many November facets got wet during these early season warm temps and rain events but are still to be found in some upper elevation bands.</p> <p>Hard to really call it new snow at this point, however in our travels due to thin snowpack and relatively steep slope angles 35-40* the surficial snow is faceting in the cold northerlies and was entraining itself in isolated turns throughout the descent.</p>
Snow surfaces changed throughout the descent. The ridgeline harbored some cold faceted snow on the surface and also had some scoured areas. Descending into taylor canyon into a NW aspect the wind tapered down quickly and led to a faceted snow surface. Loud Pow! Travels were slow and methodical as the snowpack is still very thin and rocky.