Quick report
- Red Flags
- Heavy Snowfall, Wind Loading, Cracking
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>I think tomorrow will be more interesting for avalanche viewing. </p>
Apologies left my phone in car so no Photos!!
Went back up to Monte today. Found much better skiing, way more coverage. In the Ogden valley we received close to 10”. I was wrong the road up to the summit, hwy 39 is snow covered. The tracks on sleds do hit pavement in spots but much better coverage for access to the Monte Cristo Summit than I had thought yesterday. Today I noticed a lot of the same things others are seeing. The new snow was bonding well with the old snow but there is definitely a density change sometime around 9-10am today. The precipitation rates were up and the density of snow was also up. I have not really done the calculations yet but just walking through it you can that the snow is now “upside down.” There was a moderate amount of cracking in that density change but no collapsing or signs of avalanches.
Today was moderate due to lack of coverage. I think it would be hard to even get into much avalanche terrain in the Ogden Mountains. Especially in the Monte Cristo area. With wind I could see it increasing to Considerable tomorrow.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Density change in the snowpack could create some 10-12" deep slides where is there is wind affect of course a lot more. </p> <p>Post frontal winds will start to blow from the W moving some of the snow around. </p>
18" Storm total so far at 9,000 feet.