Quick report
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>We had some minor cracking in some thin (1-2”) and brittle hard wind slab at lower elevations, but not much for concern. Snowpack structure seems to be improving, but is still poor. High elevation, steep polar aspects with a pronounced basal facet layer and a thinner snowpack still are suspect. </p>
Photo 1: general zone coverage, note the buchschwack
photo 2: example of variability in coverage, note wind loading and stripping
photo 3: wind crust cracking
photo 4: tree rime at mid elevations
Snowpack
Variable describes the snow conditions best. It was a mixed bag of near surface facets on top of a basal melt freeze crust with a variable (0-2" thick) wind crust on the surface and at lower elevations and an average snow depth of around 1ft increasing in both depth and variability as elevations increases. At higher elevations (up to about 8400ft) snow depth increased to 2-4' and consisted of the healing basal facet layer with variable 1-2' slab on top. Seemed like the wind had blown things around in this zone quite a bit and made surface conditions extremely variable. In some locations I was wishing I had my ski crampons and others were 4-6" of low density powder (from Saturday) on a supportable crust. Tough day for uphill travel and skiing for sure. Surface hoar noted on most aspects and elevations in the AM.