Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Wind Loading, Cracking, Poor Snowpack Structure
Travel today was in low and east Mineral. Very weak and thin snowpack structure, similar to what Mark Johnston and I saw in this area on January 12 - about a month ago. Below ~8,500' there is less than a meter of snow with facets down near the ground. Closer to the surface is low-density snow from this past week and also a layer of graupel from Friday, Feb 7. With so many weak layers, this structure will not support much of a load.
Photo of typical snowpack structure.
Photos of wind-drifting as well as sensitive, shallow (< 5 cm) wind slab.
Ahead of a significant winter storm, I am seeing the following weaknesses in the snowpack:
1. Thin and faceted, such as what we saw today in Mineral.
2. Thin and faceted repeater slopes that have avalanched one or more times this season.
3. Mid-pack facets that were buried late January.
4. 5-15 cm thick graupel layer from 2/7 storm
5. Facets on top of various temperature and sun crusts above and below the graupel layer.
Complex and spatially-variable to say the least. And now we may be putting 2-3" of water on top with wind-drifting.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Shallow but sensitive wind drifts.</p>
Wind-affected snow surface down to low elevations.