Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>There may be small isolated pockets of wind slabs in the upper elevation steep NE, E and SE facing terrain due to the winds from today. The warm temperatures appeared to help keep these possible slabs stubborn and mostly unreactive. Poor snowpack structure continues to be a player in at least the shallow snowpack areas and around rocky steep terrain features. Of note, in places where the rime crust was the thickest there appears to be small grained facets below this crust. </p>
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>The warm temperatures from the week appear to be stiffening up the slab structure and creating a more solid bridge over the mid pack and basal facets. Many steep lines are being skied, yet confidence is not yet strong/high with regard to attacking steep facing terrain on north and east facing mid and upper elevation terrain. </p> <p>See above</p>
There are still patches of soft turning in the most protected areas on the upper half of the compass. Besides these isolated zones, the riding conditions are extremely variable with a mix of rime crusts, wind board, damp spring-like snow, and old partially buried turns. Fortunately the winds and the 1/2 inch of new snow appeared to help smooth out some of the surfaces and partially erase some of the old tracks. Even a minimal amount of addtional new snow with more winds can only help improve the riding conditions.