Quick report
- Aspect
- Northeast
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Wind Loading
- Elevation
- 3231 m
- Slope Angle
- 27°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Several natural avalanches were observed on the Mt Watson ridgeline. The lee side of the ridge had a shallow soft wind slab. The wind was blowing all day and transporting significant amounts of snow.</p>
Our pit tests had an easy fracture for a compression test, but no results from an ECT. Both tests were performed twice. We dug where there was no wind loading. Higher up, the soft wind slab problem was obvious. It was also easily mitigated today.
The sensitive wind slabs today were our primary concern. With the amount of snow being transported today, I feel these will likely be larger slabs on Monday and still be quite sensitive.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Per comments above, the wind slabs were sensitive. </p>
The snow was cold and dry making for amazing conditions. There was ~16" of soft snow from the last series of storms.
The wind exposed ridgelines had places scoured clean of snow, some deep wind drifts, and some sensitive wind slaps (see avalanche submission).