Quick report
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>On the north aspects depth hoar does exist and could be a real problem espically above 10,000'.</p>
Light winds, but enough for some snow transport along the ridge lines (sorry for bad quality picture)
Settlement cones
Isolate ice lens found today.
Not the best picture, but if you look closely you can see some of the cupped and striated depth hoar found on a north aspect.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>After finally looking at some north aspects close to 10,000' and finding large grained depth hoar I believe the main concern is a persistent slab problem that would fail on the ground for a 3'+ slab avalanche. If this avalanche is triggered it would most likely be full depth and would drag a skier along the rocky ground with bad or fatal results. Not ever a problem to be messed with, but with the shallow pack and stellar riding conditions on other aspects, there is no reasonable explanation to tease the monster.</p>
Snow is still soft and nice. Right side up snow was still keeping me off the ground for the most part. Today I noticed settlement cones probably in the 6"-8" range. Snow on south aspects is staying cold and light. Not a ton of sun getting on it with the cloud cover, but the riding conditions on the South are still excellent.
I have been looking at and sampling snow on the East aspects the last few days and it looks pretty stable. Still seeing similar small (2-4cm) layer of moist angular grains an the ground but again it seems small enough to be broken up by the terrain. It doesn't appear to have any real connectivity, especially through different aspects. Did see an isolated 0.5cm ice lens (anomaly?) about 2cm off the ground on an east aspect at 10,000, but couldn't find it anywhere else at similar aspect/elevation. Multiple quick pits at ~10,000 on east aspects resulted in four CTN.
Finally got a quick look at a north aspect (still suspect in my mind) at 9700' and did find large 1-2mm cupped and striated depth hoar, but again was only about a 2cm layer in a 60cm pack. This did affirm my suspicions that there could be some advance depth hoar on north aspects, and most likely more than just a 2cm layer above 10,000'. Quick pit resulted in two CTN, but this DOES NOT build my confidence in similar or higher elevation north. I think upper elevation north aspects should still be treated with respect, or avoidance.