Quick report
- Aspect
- North
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 3109 m
- Slope Angle
- 36°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Most areas there were no red flags; the loading was not that significant, winds were light, and the snowpack generally quite stable. However, the persistent slab problem remains in specific terrain.</p>
Pit shows the poor structure in terrain that has previously avalanched.
Photo shows sluffs that were common in steeper terrain.
Photo shows cracking that occurred when we stepped onto a slope that has thin weak snow.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Avalanche activity observed was limited to sluffing of the new snow on steeper slopes. See photo below.</p> <p>Looked in some terrain that has been thin and weak all year, wondering if the recent warmth helped strengthen the pack. However, found that the facets (depth hoar) were still dry and weak (see photo below). Full propagation in test pits with moderate effort. Stepped onto one slope that seemed particularly weak, and had shooting cracks. Slope didn't avalanche only because it seemed to be just shy of having a slab. Add some windblown snow tomorrow and we may have a different story. </p> <p>In short same problem we have been stuck with for a while; most slopes are stable, but areas like repeaters or just steep rocky northerly facing slopes can still produce an avalanche. </p>
4" overnight, which brought storm totals up to about 10". Snow on all aspects was light and dry early AM, but by midday sunny aspects, particularly at mid elevations, had gotten damp.