Quick report
- Aspect
- Northeast
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Wind Loading, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 3200 m
Picture of a pit in Red Snow Cirque. It had a stiff slab resting over the DH.
Surface hoar was up to 2.5 cm and mostly in valley bottoms.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>On my tour up into Red Snow Cirque today, much of the snowpack consisted of facets, depth hoar, wind slab and notable surface hoar in the valley bottom. </p> <p> </p> <p>The height of snow at 10K varied from 0 on south aspects to around 50cm in shady, wind-protected areas.</p> <p> </p> <p>I did not experience any cracking or collapsing, but in areas exposed to the wind, there was a 1F hard slab sitting on weak persistent grains. </p> <p>One of my pits (NE aspect) produced an ECTP 20 on the depth hoar and in another pit I got CTH SC on buried near surface facets (Dec. 13 interface?) about 20cm down. In other pits, I got CTN and ECTX as there was basically no slab-just weak faceted snow.</p> <p>Much of the snowpack is weak snow with only the most recent storm snow not faceted (yet).</p> <p>The surface hoar distribution and size was notable and will be something to keep an eye on.</p> <p> </p>