Quick report
- Aspect
- Northeast
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 3048 m
- Slope Angle
- 24°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Poor snowpack structure with weak basal facets continues to be the primary concern, particularly in areas with a shallower snowpack, say 150 cms or less. Other mid-pack layers are starting to appear, including a reactive layer of surface hoar I found on a low elevation, NE aspect. I don't think this will prove to be widespread, this area is particularly conducive to surface hoar preservation but we'll be keeping an eye out. I also checked out some W aspects as we had what appears to be an isolated avalanche, failing on facets under a crust a week or so ago. I'm not finding this combination to be widespread, but it did turn up. Stability tests were non-reactive. </p>
West aspect, 10,015'
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>I went out with the goal of evaluating PWL problems below treeline, which for us is still quite high (10,000') compared to the rest of the state. On a NE aspect I found a shallow snowpack 117 cms deep. The bottom 60 cms are faceted though some rounding and strengthening is occurring between 40-60. The bottom 40 cms are depth hoar. I also observed a layer of surface hoar 22 cms down that proved to be reactive (ECTP24). The basal facets failed at ECTP 26. I don't think the surface hoar will prove to be widepsread, but the basal facets remain a concern at all elevations wherever we have a shallow snowpack. </p> <p> </p> <p>Clearly defined surface hoar layer. </p> <p>Extended column test results on surface hoar layer. </p> <p>No doubt that surface hoar is what it is!</p> <p>Extended column test results on basal facets. </p> <p> </p> <p>I also poked around on a couple of west aspects looking for the face crust combo that produced an avalanche about a week ago. I didn't find it on one slope that was shaded by trees, but I found it on a more sun exposed slope. An extended column test produced no results. (ECTX)</p>
Starting to see the full range of snow surfaces out there. Southerly aspects have a thin melt freeze crust, other exposed surfaces have some wind affect, especially up high, soft settled powder can still be found in sheltered areas. It's been a week since the last snow and the surface is becoming weak.