Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Wind Loading, Cracking, Collapsing, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Numerous collapses observed throughout the day, failing on the layer of faceted snow that was preserved prior to the 11/29 storm.</p>
Photo and video of NE aspect at 8,500 with ECTP5
In areas without a stronger slab on top of the buried facets, pit scores were ECTN (no propagation). This correlates with other field observations in the Ogden and Salt Lake mountains where you need a stronger/denser slab on top of the buried facets to produce avalanches. My biggest concern is areas that were wind-loaded during the Wednesday/Thursday wind event or later this weekend where the strong wind slab on top of facets has the structure to produce large avalanches. Video below explains this further.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>The November PWL layer is now buried about 50-60 cms deep, although in areas with wind-loading, over a meter deep. Numerous collapses today and several poor pit scores with full propagation < 10 taps. </p> <p>Southwest winds were creating pockets of fresh wind drifts along exposed ridgelines. With increasing winds Sunday and Monday, fresh wind drifts are likely.</p>
Friday's storm snow settled out to 15-20 cms (6-8") on top of the 50 cms (18-20") that fell earlier this week.
HS 8,500' - 9,500' is about a meter +/- 20 cms. Although in wind-loaded terrain, the snowpack is closer to 1.5 meters deep.