Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>There were minimal signs of instability in the terrain visited today, aside from a long running dry loose and some localized collapsing/whumping around rocky knolls where the structure was shallow and weak.</p>
Photos:
1- Loose Dry on steep sustained South facing slope. Brief solar input likely warmed the rocks of the starting zones and the sluff entrained more snow as it ran to the bottom of the track of this slope, traveling through multiple cliff bands.
2- Cornices along the top of Pagan basin were growing larger and it looked like the cornice line on the left had numerous chunks that had broken off during the storm. No evidence on the slope below.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Dry loose avalanche were noted in the steepest sustained terrain. Our group noted a narrow but very long running sluff on the south facing sugar cliffs in lower mineral basin. See photo. Otherwise the new snow doesn't have slab like properties and is not very cohesive.</p> <p>It seems like this problem is more pronounced in the shallower lower elevation band adjacent to the core of upper Little Cottonwood and upper American Fork where HS is reaching 180+cm. In many locations the wind event of 12/11 has put a 1F to Pencil hard windslab overtop the 4F-1F faceted grains that were buried 11/28. This very strong layer seems to have capped the weak layer in a lot of areas and it is topped with almost 2.5 feet of low density snow that is not very cohesive at this point. In areas where this layer is nearer to the surface, such as off-aspects or slopes that were made shallower by the wind prior to the storms of late November it still seems like this problem is a concern. While the distribution is widespread it is stubborn to unreactive in test profiles and many ECTN or ECTX across the mid elevation band where it is buried 80-90cm deep. In the area traveled there was also extensive snowmobile usage and no signs of instability or prior avalanches. That being said the terrain we were in was quite avalanche resistant and the larger slopes of Pagan Basin had been well avoided by all users.</p> <p>We seem to be heading in the right direction with the increasing snowpack depths and characteristics of this layer being smaller grains (1-2mm). </p> <p> </p> <p>Would still like to let things settle and see how the next bit of moisture and wind changes the overlying slab characteristics. Not trying to outsmart this one. Its only mid December and there will be plenty of quality riding to be had in the future on the steeper slopes.</p>
Five star riding quality and easy to move through on lower slope angles. Very low density snow over the last day stacking up on top of low density snow from days prior. Totals in upper AF seemed similar to upper LCC.