Quick report
- Aspect
- North
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 1920 m
- Slope Angle
- 20°
Total height of snow (HS ) was 16" (41cm). There were three distinctive crusts with facets in between. Snow surface was 1" (3cm) surface hoar. Weakest layer was 3" (8cm) from the ground below a crust. I got failure with propagation on this layer with an extended column test (ECTP13@8). What's saving us right now is that there is minimal slab on top of these weak layers. As soon as we see any additional snow ( either from storm snow or wind loading ) then things will change quickly and any of these faceted layers will likely be the weak layer that will create avalanches.
Photo of a quick hand pit on a northeast aspect at 6,800' in elevation.
Photo of previous wind loading on an east facing ridgeline at 7,500'
Below photos showing snow coverage from the North Ogden Divide. Bottom photo looking back towards the inversion over North Ogden.
Snowpack
Snow surface was faceted loose at lower elevations and once I got above 6,900' in elevation the snow surface was damp. Snowpack height (HS) was consistent 10"-16" on north (northwest-north-northeast) facing aspects. Photo of surface hoar on a north facing aspect at 6,300' in elevation.