Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Rapid Warming, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Multiple NE facing slopes avalanched a day or 2 ago, leaving very impressive debris piles. Major debris piles at the bottom of God's Lawnmower, GB No, and Moonlight, multiple smaller piles scattered around E facing Mineral Fk</p>
Several hasty hand pits showed easy failure at or within 5 cm of the stout M-F crust 35 cm deep in high-density snow on NE facing slope we considered skiing in Cardiff at about 10,000 ft. We chose to keep our slope angle down on that aspect after seeing results. Skied a 40 deg NW facing slope at the same elevation - snow seemed much more secure. Didn't get a chance to look at any starting zones but the size of the debris piles and blocks made me suspect some may have been stepping down through the M-F crust. I suspect a full day of direct sun will launch a lot of activity.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Several hasty hand pits showed easy failure at or within 5 cm of the stout M-F crust 35 cm deep in high-density snow on NE facing slope we considered skiing in Cardiff at about 10,000 ft. We chose to keep our slope angle down on that aspect after seeing results. Skied a 40 deg NW facing slope at the same elevation - snow seemed much more secure. Didn't get a chance to look at any starting zones but the size of the debris piles and blocks made me suspect some may have been stepping down through the M-F crust. I suspect a full day of direct sun will launch a lot of activity.</p>
Mix of very wet east facing, dust on crust N facing, deeper dense wet but highly skiable loose snow on NE through NW