Quick report
- Aspect
- East
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 2957 m
- Slope Angle
- 30°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>No visual or audible red flags until I started digging in the snow to reveal the poor snowpack structure.</p>
We dug a pit on an ENE aspect at about 9700 ft. There's just over 30 inches of snow in this location with about 20 inches of denser snow sitting on a foot of early season, loose facets - strong over weak. Pit tests were mostly failing on faceted grains below a temperature crust within the basal facets about 55 cm's down (22""). Our Extended Column Test failed with medium effort on 2 mm solid faceted particles and with plenty of energy to pop the column out into the pit on a 30 degree slope. The slab resting on the weak basal snow is firm and supportable and certainly gives you the feeling of a solid snowpack. It's not until you dig into the snow that you're able to see the poor structure.
Tomorrow's danger rating will depend on how much wind and new snow we get. I went with moderate danger again tomorrow. Winds are forecasted to relatively light from the north tonight but, tomorrow, turn to more southwesterly, blowing at moderate speeds. With plenty of soft snow available for transport, northerly facing slopes may see some loading tomorrow until the winds shift and start blowing from the northwest. We most likely will see a considerable danger for Friday and into the weekend on slopes 30 degrees or steeper facing the north half of the compass.
First photo is our ECT result and second photo is rime on the trees.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>We'll be trending toward increasing danger with more snow and wind in the forecast but it may not be until Friday that we see the persistent weak layer start to wake up. </p>
Cold December snow conditions, even on slopes facing the south half of the compass. Soft, shallow powder on a supportable base. Surface hoar formation in the typical low elevations sinks but widespread surface and near surface faceting on all aspects, but most prevalent on slopes facing the north half of the compass. Rime in the trees and some rimed surface snow on west facing slopes.