Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Collapsing, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>I triggered a couple audible collapses in areas with shallower snow cover or where the snow was shallow in December. Investigation in these areas revealed a thin layer of weak sugary faceted snow from December capped by the thick Solstice crust. The crust may have helped transmit the collapses, making the area involved a bit bigger than "locallized"</p>
In the DayGlo area, I came upon a steep slope that looked as though it had naturally cracked due to wind-loading from the east winds earlier in the week. Looked like it had cracked and failed, but not run as an avalanche in this case.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Unlikely, but one still might trigger a dangerous slab in isolated terrain with poor snow structure.</p>
Nice settled powder conditions even in the sun. Shallow powder on Solstice rain-crust at lower elevations.