Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Collapsing, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Got at least six huge collapses, a couple which occurred on a skin track that several folks had already traveled through.</p>
Covered lots of ground and dug lots of quick pits. Was curious about the old snow surface which I was finding the immediate layer of concern on Saturday. Much of the avalanche activity this weekend occurred within the storm snow or at this new snow/old snow interface. Any instabilities within the storm snow have settled out, and the storm snow is a very soft layer that is not cohesive, so it is difficult to get clean shears. In areas where there is wind-loading, the denser slab will be more cohesive and it may be easier to trigger avalanches.
The inch+ of water weight on the weak snowpack is the larger concern, and the loud/booming collapses today are evidence the buried PWL cannot support this load.
Fortunately, lower-angled slopes are riding very well and there is no need to push slope angles beyond 30°.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>1"+ of water weight on the weak, preexisting snowpack is significant.</p>
Upwards of 45 cms settled storm snow > 8,000'. Rightside-up with low-density stellars at the surface. No wind affect where we traveled (but we did avoid open alpine zones.)
HS (height of snow/depth of snowpack) is pushing 1.5 meters in some areas!