Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Heavy Snowfall, Wind Loading, Cracking, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>On the way up the canyon on snowmobiles we remotely triggered two small sluffs,10 to 12 inches deep, 20 to 50 feet wide and running for less that 30 feet. While skinning up 30 degree slopes we found the top foot of snow to be extremely sensitive, with cracking and failures happening very frequently.</p>
If it was steep enough (approaching 35 degrees) for fun floating turns it cracked and sluffed and felt like it could avalanche. It was a day to stay in the very dense trees and lower angle slopes. I bet the ski area was a better bet today.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>On a North facing slope we saw a small cornice fall that landed on the storm slab near a ridge line at 9000 ft. I was 18 inches deep 100 feet wide and run for 200 linear feet. </p> <p>The snow had a slab like consistency even in the most sheltered terrain. Lots of cracking.</p>
Upside down snowpack. The weekends light density snow is now buried by moderate density snow. It was deep but the joke of the day was it was "the worst day of the season". This is a tribute to just how good we have had this season. The trail breaking was arduous at times, but much better in dense forested terrain.