Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Wind Loading, Cracking, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Poor snowpack structure continues to be confined to the interface of the latest prestorm melt freeze crusts to the new snow from Monday. In the early morning hours S and SE facing steep terrain at mid slope elevations were experiencing sensitive wind slabs that were easily triggered with slope cuts. Cracking was observed on low angled slopes without initiation. During the afternoon hours with daytime heating and the associated solar influences it was possible to intiate small pockets of wet slabs on E and NE facing steep rollovers. </p>
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>See above, and it most likely was possible that this problem became more widespread on upper elevation steep terrain that was a little off the ridgelines due to the excessive wind velocities. At 2100 hours the winds are still very active at the upper elevation ridgelines and this problem may still be of concern and maintaining this isolated trend of Danger and Hazard for Wednesday. </p> <p>On the shady very steep northerly facing aspects that are still housing what is left Mondays storm the potential for this hazard was possible on Tuesday; and it there may still be very isolated pockets in this identified terrain on Wednesday, though this reactivity most likely will be decreasing. </p> <p>On another note, due to the the cold temperatures and cloud cover the Wet Loose activity was minimal on Tuesday; and with the clear skies and warmer temperatures forecast for Wednesday this problem may be more active during daytime heating on Wednesday. </p> <p>Finally, the Cornice situation continues to be of concern where these lingering large cornices still exist; and with the reverse loading and eroding may have weakened them on Tuesday. </p>
Due to high RH, the winds and the moderate temperatures the settlement of Mondays storm event was significant. New snow measurements of up to 13 inches appeared to be more around 9 inches for the day on the protected areas. And, the winds thinned this depth as well as the daytime heating and sun that was out for the morning hours. All that said, in the limited protected areas the riding was good in dense spring powder; and on the E, ESE and S aspects where the snow surface wasn't disturbed by the wind even the damp powder rode well on low angle terrain in the morning. Much of the upper elevation exposed terrain had dense wind laden snow, and slabs. Plus, the upper steep starting zones on many of the northerly facing shots was scoured and slippery. Interestingly, there were small/shallow deposits of Faceted Loose snow being sprayed and loaded on the southerly sides of the leeward ridges. By the end of the day all but the most northerly slopes with angles > 25 degrees were either damp and or already crusted.