Quick report
- Red Flags
- Rapid Warming
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Did see some wet activity from yesterday and with warm temps I bet the same today.</p>
1. Wet activity from yesterday
2. Medium size surface on all aspects this morning. (not sure if they burned off in the afternoon on S aspects??)
3. Surface hoar and death air if one doesn't get you the other will!!
4. Wind affect on Ben Lomond
5.
Birch Creek photos from monday 1/25/2016
Today I saw only moderate conditions with pockets of Considerable in upper elevation steep terrain on all aspects. I do not know what weak layers are up there and wind slabs. I just see that 3 professionals have been caught off guard in the Wasatch in a week. I have not really seen a lot of red flags or signs of instability in the Ben Lomond area. I am having tons of fun on 30ish degree terrain it is hard to risk the steeper unknown. Hopefully this next storm comes in as heavy as predicted to give our northern Wasatch snowpack a realy good natural test.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>In the Ogden Mountains I think the largest problem is wet slabs running on a slick bed surface. I am unable to find a crust facet layer on south aspects like the central Wasatch seems to have. </p> <p>These have become very stiff. I was unable to trigger and test slopes today.</p>
The new snow from Sunday night (Jan 24th) has really started to facet and than add 2-4mm surface hoar on that. This all sits on a slick bed surface from the heavy snow before the weekend (I really think it is from the heavy snow even in protected areas it exists leading me to believe it is not wind). Hopefully warm temps and strong winds before the next shot of snow on Friday will knock them down but I am not sure. On S aspects the snow surface is not faceted but does have the surface hoar.