Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Rapid Warming
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>The biggest Red Flag observed were the loose snow dry and wet avalanches. Loose snow dry avalanches/sluffs were easily triggered on slopes with angles > 35 degrees and for the most part they were manageble. One group of riders descending the west facing steep terrain off of Millicent triggered a sluff and eventually entrained enough snow to build up close to a meter of debris before stopping. Numerouns loose dry natural avalanches were observed on west and northerly facing steep slopes, and in one location a sluff stepped down and broke out a very small pocket of storm slab that appeared to be 8 to 10 inches deep. Roller balls became widespread on the the south facing Highway to Heaven my mid afternoon, and in the mid canyon area widespread small wet loose avalanching was occuring on steep southerly facing slopes. </p>
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Loose dry and loose wet as described above.</p> <p>The small pocket os wind slab encountered were 4 finger hard, up to 9 inches thick, and reactive to slope cuts. They appeared to be crossed loaded in some upper entrances to steep chutes leading into the Brighton Back Bowls. Their reactivity appeared to be as a result of a weak layer of light density stellars. In more exposed terrain in the alpine this problem may have been a bit more widespread. </p> <p>Small sensitive cornices on east facing ridges in the mid canyon area were sensitive and easily triggered, yet they were not creating avalanches upon descent. </p> <p>Danger today appeared to be an isolated moderate for wind slabs, loose dry, and loose wet. Many steep lines were ridden with only the loose dry issue as a concern. </p>
Another day of superb powder riding. By 1015 hours The east and SE were becoming damp and this process continued around the lower half of the compass throughout the day. Tuesday will see m/f crusts on all aspects on the lower half of the compass. Minimal wind damage from the last 24 hours was observed, and only isolated small pockets of soft wind slabs were encountered.
New snow again overnight added another 3 inches of very light density snow as a cap to the storm snow from over the weekend. Bottomless riding and foot penetrations of up to at least 24 inches were observed on the northerly aspects above 9600 feet.