Quick report
- Aspect
- North
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Wind Loading, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 2560 m
- Slope Angle
- 0°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>All the red flags are still there, even if they now they maybe seem to be a couple days in the past. Point Peak slide was on an aspect common to many slopes along the Park City Ridgeline and happened ~3 days after snowfall and peak avalanche activity. The Meadows avalanche was just 2 days ago. See below re: wind loading and poor snowpack structure below. </p>
Extended column tests provided an audible sudden collapse but not an obvious rapid planar shear.
Another view of the Pointy Peak avalanche
This slope had been extensively tested by small animals. The bobcat (maybe? larger tracks in foreground) seemed to have a better sense of the avalanche danger and stuck to the ridge.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Weak snow is easy to find along the Park City Ridgeline. All it takes es stepping out of your skis and you sink in quite far. In addition to basal facets, there are also weaknesses around the rain crust below say 9000 feet and buried near surface facets above.</p> <p>I was surprised at how firm and stubborn some of the wind slabs felt along the ridgeline. This can lead to a false sense of stability because the snowpack "feels" strong and may not crack easily like more sensitive wind slabs might.</p>
Yesterdays colder snow had become damp by today. Some rime on trees but not enough to matter for skiing.