Quick report
- Red Flags
- Heavy Snowfall, Wind Loading, Cracking
The video is actual speed, not speeded up. This is seven seconds of graupel falling, and it went on like this for more than 20 minutes.
Snowpack
Arrived to 12-14 inches of fresh, light snow. Wind was very easily transporting snow mid-slope and along ridges. Before the 11:45a front, some of the ridges had minor wind skins. Despite a stout crust on direct north-facing, the new snow was bonding very well. Multiple hasty pits on faces 30+ degrees were not at all reactive. As we neared higher ridges, some cracks started to run from the skin track. Descent on 30+ produced no sluffing. Instead, a combo I have never uttered: Low elevation late March blower powder. Unbelievably good at 6,500'. Then the pulse came in with non-stop punishing graupel and high gusts. Snow that had been stable on the first lap was now easily cracking and the top inch of all graupel had created a very slippery layer. Curious to see how sustained winds and significant graupel affect the bonding in tonight's snow.