Quick report
- Red Flags
- Rapid Warming
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Poor refreeze never solidified snowpack creating loose wet conditions, even up to 10,000'. A few rollerballs and pinwheels were triggered during our descent on steeper slopes. New wet loose slides were observed at high elevations on E to SE aspects with perhaps a R1/D2 natural glide avalanche seen.</p>
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>With the warming trend over the last few days and mild overnight temperatures, loose wet slides will continue to be a problem and perhaps wet slabs could also be triggered as more water saturates the snowpack, lubricating old weak layers. Until we get a hard refreeze with cold temps to solidify the snowpack, avoid sustained slopes of >35 degrees. With rock faces heating up, avoid rock bands and shallow snowpacks, especially on southerly aspects.</p> <p>With warming temperatures and intense solar radiation, cornices on ridgelines, mainly on north to east to south aspects, are becoming unstable and could start breaking off. Avoid travel beneath large observed cornices and give cornices a wide berth while traveling on ridges.</p>
Mild overnight temps created very poor refreeze conditions. With rapid warming and an Alta Guard recorded temperature of 59 degrees at 10:00, the snow surface became "sloppy" at all aspects at lower elevations. Moderate winds at higher elevations kept snowpack semi supportable but intense sun baked the snow below ridgelines, especially S and E aspects. Thick slush made downhill travel difficult and dirty, damp snow caused skis to become sticky and grabby.