Quick report
- Aspect
- North
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 2926 m
- Slope Angle
- 37°
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Our Level 3 transferred from the boring snowpack of the Upper Cottonwoods to the Park City Ridgeline today. All four groups found reactive buried surface hoar, basically encompassing the entire north half of the compass from 9000-9600 feet. The layer is obviously gaining strength but still very responsive in stability tests, essentially showing moderate to high strength, high propagation propensity, poor structure, and low friction. Our conclusions here show a low probability, high consequence event - hard to trigger, but likely to lead to dangerous avalanche conditions. Video below shows two different stability tests in two separate drainages. Footage from Caroline Gleich and Don Sharaf.</p> <p>We found a second persistent slab problem in Home Run on an ESE facing slope, where a test on a 29 degree slope at 9300' revealed an ECTP 8 SP down 60 cm on Facets over a crust. We believe this is the same layer that the Sound of Music accident failed on a few days ago. After digging the pit, we experienced a very large collapse as one person moved back to the ridgeline, this pit was performed next to 10+ fresh tracks and caught us quite off guard, had the sloe been steeper, my conclusion is we would have seen a large avalanche.</p>