Quick report
- Cracking
- isolated
- Collapsing
- widespread
Today I toured through sheltered, low angle terrain above the Dunderberg meadows area. Moderate to heavy snowfall and moderate SW wind occurred during my tour between 930 AM and 130 PM. 3-5 inches of low density snow fell while I was out. Despite winds, I observed minimal wind effect on snow surface in the sheltered areas I travelled through. At higher exposed areas this new snow could be easily transported. I received widespread feedback from the snowpack in the form of whumpfing while skinning and slope scale collapses that I could hear rumble up the slopes. Widespread whumpfing and several slope scale collapses that rumbled upslope in open sheltered terrain. I did not encounter wind slab in the sheltered low angle terrain I rode through although it seemed likely to be forming in higher more exposed areas.
Weather
- Air Temp
- below freezing
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- light
- Recent Snowfall
- 7-12 cm
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Moderate to Heavy snowfall during midday hours. Moderate SW winds in sheltered terrain. Visibility was limited at times. Around 5” of new snow on Virginia lakes road at 130 pm. Road was clear when I began my trip. I noticed after returning home from my tour that snowfall at 6700' had turned to rain by early evening.
Snowpack
By the time I left at 130 pm, 3-5 inches of new low density snow had fallen. On E to NE facing slopes NTL I encountered widespread whumpfing and slope scale collapses while skinning. On a NE slope in an open but protected area at 9600’ I triggered a collapse that audibly rumbled quite a distance upslope. I dug in the snow on a similar slope with HS 100 cm. ECTs here produced propagating results (ECTP8 and ECTP6) at 37 cm from surface within 4f facets above a P hard crust. I found under foot cracking in new snow only in isolated locations in the sheltered terrain I traveled through.