Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Collapsing, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Did get one loud collapse while jumping around on an obviously wind-loaded pillow with facets below. No cracking, any I couldn't get any recent small cornices to crack either.</p>
Wasn't intending on submitting an observation as our measly mid-November snowpack can easily be over-analyzed, but I had a brief email exchange this am with Evelyn and she wondered if the crusts just above the faceted layer at the ground that were found earlier this week by herself as well as Mark White were responsible for the connectedness of the slab avalanches from Saturday. I dug lots of quick hand pits on northerly aspects today and was only finding the crust in isolated spots. Furthermore, it seemed to be disintegrating, likely due to the steep temperature gradient. In a few spots where the crust was intact I was finding the facet chains that Evelyn reported. Overall, today in Big Cottonwood I was unable to consistently find the crust that Evelyn and Mark were observing earlier this week in Little Cottonwood.
Speaking of temperature gradients - at midday I took a few measurements of the surface of the snow and was finding temps ranging from -8 to -12 C in 30 cms of snow: it is likely we'll see our thin snowpack continue to facet this week.
Given the less-than-stellar riding conditions, it is a great time to practice beacon drills, and today my two partners and I found a sunny spot out of the wind.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Do we yet call it a persistent slab? Not sure. </p>
Storm has settled out to about 20 cms (8") sitting on top of 10-15 cms of facets. Snow depths vary with at most 20 - 30 cms (8-12") on any aspects that were bare (SE <-> W) prior to the recent storm, with up to 45 cms (18") on north aspects > 10,000'. There are a few pockets where the wind deposited depths exceed 60 cms (2') Haven't been in LCC, but it appears BCC and Park City ridgeline got lesser amounts than Little Cottonwood.