Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Collapsing, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>We noted windslabs at the top of a northeast facing bowl when skinning along a ridge. In general they seemed pretty stubborn but we did experience one collapse. Digging a snowpit revealed a thin layer of faceted snow at the bottom, although it was not reactive in tests at this location.</p>
We toured in upper Huntington Canyon this afternoon, at elevations ranging from 8,300 to 10,200 feet, predominantly on north and northwest facing slopes. This location doesn't have quite as much snow as the western part of the Skyline, with snow depths of 2.5 to 3 feet in places we checked. We did dig a snow pit on a NW slope at 9,500 feet. There was about an inch of faceted snow at the base of the snowpack, although it was not reactive in tests and seemed to us to be wet and less weak than the faceted snow that we have seen in the Spring City Canyon and Cedar Creek areas earlier this season. The new snow from the weekend storm seems to have dried out a little and provided excellent skiing conditions.
Photo 1: Snowpit. The new snow from Sunday's storm seemed to bond seamlessly with the snow from last Wednesday's storm in this location. The only layer of concern to us was the inch or so of faceted snow at the bottom.
Photo 2: Wind effect and general snow coverage in upper Huntington Canyon.
Snowpack
Seemed to be about 3-4 inches of new snow from the last storm in Upper Huntington Canyon. New snow from Sunday has settled to a nice medium density powder. We noted wind effect along ridges and new cornice formation from the sustained westerly winds of the weekend. We did note some surface hoar in protected areas but it was not widespread.