Quick report
- Aspect
- Northeast
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 3018 m
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Not many red flags because it's been quite a few days since the last loading event. </p>
The slab above the weak layer near the ground continues to gain strength and is bridging the weak layer more and more. Although the weak layer continues to remain weak because the thin snowpack maintains a steep temeprature gradient, the bridging slab and the increasing amount of time that has passed since significant loading. So the snowpack is not nearly as sensitive as it was last week.
I would continue to call it Moderate Danger on north through east facing slopes above 9,500' steeper than 30 degrees, especially on slopes approaching 35 degrees and steeper.
There is pretty good coverage on the upper elevation north through east facing slopes above about 9,500'. Everything else is pretty thin.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Yes, there is a poor snowpack structure but at least in the 10,420 area, the snowpack remains fairly thin without too much of a slab on top of the weak faceted snow near the ground. The persistent slab problem seems dormant right now without much energy in the system. This doesn't mean you can't find an avalanche but I'm guessing they have become much more difficult to trigger. The depth hoar near the ground is fairly thin compared to other areas I've visited and so is the entire snowpack. So it's not gaining any strength because it's still under a super-critical temperature gradient since it's so thin. So the next significant loading might be pretty interesting.</p> <p>Our next forecasted "storm" tonight will likely not add enough weight to reactivate the depth hoar but the very low density snow on the surface could be a bit slippery, especially where the wind creates some recent deposits on steep slopes.</p>
Turning conditions were surprisingly good on the shady aspects with just a couple inches to a skiff of new, light snow on a supportable, dense base. Sun crusts on the sunny aspects and wind damage in the wind exposed terrain. Snow remains thin with overall snow depth around 40-50 cm (1.5-2'). The old snow is quite dense and supportable keeping you barely above the rocks.