Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Cracking
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>The winds were keeping the hazard elevated along the ridge lines where just enough soft new snow was being transported onto the leeward sides. Only some minor cracking of fresh wind slabs, these did not crack out easily and would only tumble down the slope. Several layers of fresh and old wind slabs are found in the exposed terrain, but I was not finding these to be very sensitive. </p>
A fairly nice deep snow pack in this mid elevation north facing slope in Gold Hill, 60" of snow and generally a right side up snow pack with increasing densities to the ground.
Very manageable and shallow fresh wind slabs that would only crack and tumble downhill. These could be more connected and sensitive tomorrow with tonights wind and snow.
Periods of sun, light snow and gusty winds at times mad for some nice lighting.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>With continued wind through the night, fresh and likely more sensitive wind slabs would be found in the higher terrain. Today they were breaking up to 10" deep, but would think these could be bigger and more connected and less manageable tomorrow. </p> <p>I only dug around mid elevation, north facing slope in Gold Hill and the pack looks quite consolidated and generally a nice progressive right side up snow pack. A couple layers that have some slightly weaker snow, but they did not appear to be a real concern at this location. I did not go hunting for much shallow, weak, sugary snow.</p>
Around two inches new in Gold Hill which did help soften the hard frozen tracks, but the winds have worked over much of the terrain.