Quick report
- Cracking
- isolated
We took a quick stormy tour up moonlight basin to asses the recent storm snow. Depths were impressive for the area and ranged from 2-3 feet deep where we travelled. Active weather was moving through the area with periods of moderate to heavy snowfall. We turned back early due to near whiteout conditions. Deep snow made for difficult and slow downhill travel.
Deep storm slabs up to 3 feet deep were becoming stiff and slabby on top due to active wind redistribution. A small remotely triggered slide on a steep wind drifted slope showed the storm slab to be quite senstive in some areas. Other signs of instability included isloated cracking in areas where the snow was stiffened by the wind. Additional snowfall and wind drifting snow was actively increasing the avalanche hazard through our tour.Weather
- Air Temp
- upper 20s
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- moderate
- Recent Snowfall
- 50 estimated
- Snow Avail For Transport
- large amounts
Cloudy, SE winds, intermittent snow showers becoming near whiteout at times. Snow was being easily redistributed by wind, quickly filling in skin tracks and creating deep pockets of soft slabs.
Snowpack
Observations focused on snow accumulation over the last 24 hours. Snowfall totals were hard to asses in our area due to wind redistribution of snow but we expect that about 20+ inches fell over the last couple days. Depths on the tour averaged about 2 feet deep with deeper pockets in many areas. The suface snow was actively being transported by wind creating deep pockets that were sensitive to human triggers on steep test slopes. We triggered one small slab remotely. Lower angle slopes porduced cracking under foot in many areas but no collapses. Aditional snowfall with wind was increasing the hazard through our tour.