Quick report
- Red Flags
- Cracking, Rapid Warming, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Several days now of above freezing temperatures have really affected the snowpack with damp unstable snow at the low and mid-elevations making for tough travel and unstable snow. </p>
As soon as I left the groomed trail I was sinking into damp unsupportable snow with water at the ground level. This was at the 8,700' elevation.
I was finding similar snow conditions at 9,500' with slightly more new snow, but the snow was still unsupportable and damp to the ground. I sunk to my knees once I stepped off the machine.
Not quite sure what the hazard is right now, but feel like the conditions are still unstable and there is a lot of uncetainity with the current snowpack.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>The persistent layer of weak sugar snow that developed over the winter dry spell has now become wet and unstable. I continued to get snow pit tests today that still propagate a fracture with only a few taps from the elbow. Until the snow pack gets a good freeze it seems like the possibility of triggering avalanches on this layer is still likely?</p> <p>A return to more seasonal temperatures should slow down the wet snow problems. I was not able to view any high elevation terrain today, but would think there are some wet sluffs and slides from days of a poor freeze. </p>
Some wet high density snow fall today making things look a little more like winter, however the low to mid elevation snow conditions were damp and unsupportable today. I turned around on my attempt to get into Gold Hill as the snow was just too unsupportable and the visibility a bit challenging. Hopefully temperatures will continue to cool down and get the snowpack locked up.