Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Heavy Snowfall, Wind Loading, Cracking, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Two naturals observed both steep cliff lines where obvious week shallow snow was housed. Both slab avalanches and D1 in size, high consequence terrain. Both appeared to originate in the weak snow next to the cliffs and propagating downhill to widths of approximately 60 feet, running to slope transition: 100 feet. Soft slabs, storm slabs with wind contributing factor. Wind slabs 4 finger hard. Widespread cracking only in upper layers: 3 to 6 inches of soft wind slab. Stress cracks without failure noted in multiple steep rocky starting zones. Wind loading significant and widespread. </p>
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Storm Slab with wind aided contributing factor allowed for widespread reactivity initiating in the new snow with isolated areas digging down into the previous weeks snow event on E, N and NW aspects. See above for details on natural activity. These weak layers in the new snow should settle significantly over the next 24 hours. </p> <p>Loose dry an issue today in steep terrain on all aspects; and loose wet may be a concern on Friday with the addition of solar input to the surface snow. </p>
Excellent deep powder riding, especially on northerly aspects, with enough new snow to keep you off the old snow surface crusts. HSN: 14 inches, slightly inverted due to graupel layer 6 inches up from storm base. Winds moderate. Transport strong.