Quick report
- Aspect
- Northwest
- Red Flags
- Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 2804 m
- Slope Angle
- 20°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p> I thought I would turn in a quick observation of what we found today with a quick trip near Scott's Hill near the head of BCC. I dug a snow profile on a NW facing slope at 9,100' in a wind sheltered location on the BCC side of the ridge. It was only 50 cm deep and the bottom half of the snowpack was weak depth hoar and a couple of layers of relatively soft snow on top. At least where I was there's still not enough weight to overload the weak layer and not enough of a slab to propagate a fracture. It's what I call a foof on foof situation. But at higher elevations, wind exposed areas, there could easily be enough weight and slab to make the snow reactive. But there was nothing where I was. I noticed many slopes had lots of visible tracks, USA Bowl, Meadow Chutes, Wolverine Bowl, all were well tracked up, with no avalanches I could see. </p>
It was easy to collapse the depth hoar layer but only right under the shovel and it did not propagate a fracture. The snowpack where I was needed more weight and more of a cohesive slab for a slab avalanche. Upper elevation, wind loaded slopes could easily be reactive. Stepping out of skis you quickly sank to the ground. Watch out if there's a slab on top of this weak snow.
Snowpack
The latest snow improved turning conditions considerably and added a needed boost to the coverage. Total snow depth is still fairly shallow with about a half meter (2 feet) in most areas between 8,000 and 9,000' elevation. Turning conditions were quite good, powdery snow but with such a shallow snowpack the logs, stumps, brush and rocks are still the greatest hazard.