Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Heavy Snowfall, Wind Loading, Cracking, Collapsing, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Lots of collapsing and cracking today to many times to count (see photos). Also spotted on natural avalanche from sunday or yesterday. My guess is yesterday. It was 2 foot deep hard slab D1 R2. This failed on the wet facets on the ground. Very small in size and just off the ridge where the wind was loading it just right. </p>
There is a lot of potential out there for human caused avalanches. I think the one saving grace for rescuers and forecasters is where those avalanches could be present and triggered the skiing is very bad. Some one could definitely get caught on the up track though or crossing under a loaded slope. I would also be very wary of any terrain trap where there might be loading on the ridge or slope above. The new wind slab is very cohesive and can propagate quite far.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Everywhere you look or step you can feel the effects of the pre-frontal/post-frontal winds from Saturdays storm. I feel that skiing these slopes that have been effected is unlikely because of the poor skiing but terrain traps and moving under loaded slopes could definitely cause problems. </p> <p>I am not sure which to put as problem number one. They are both intermixed with the new wind slab on top of the old weak layer form October. </p>
Snow is variable again. On lower elevation and protected slopes there was still dry powder from Saturdays storm. The large problem was finding it and avoiding the early season hazards. At higher elevation the snow was very wind effected.