Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>See above for wind loading details. Poor visibility only allowed for sporadic visual confirmation of wind loading, yet remote weather stations provided strong evidence of significant and widespread wind slab development at the upper elevations. Poor snowpack structure confirmed in protected mid elevation terrain on NW and NE aspects. ECTP 21 and 24 at 35 cm up on NW and NE aspects at 9000. Fist hard basal facets weak layer. HS in these locations: 75 cm on NW, and 110 cm on NE aspects respectively. </p>
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Poor snowpack structure described above indicating some of the weakest and most reactive structure observed in past 10 days. May be due to the location which houses cooler than typical temperatures due to pooling of cold air in localized basin. Regardless, this is not an isolated and or unique structure as indicated by previous observations from various locations. </p> <p>See above, and with the winds still at moderate to strong speeds still at 2000 hours and forecast to continue through the evening and early morning hours, this danger/hazard appears to be increasing at upper elevations. </p> <p>Of note: The first few inches of new snow were very light density and during the day on Saturday the densities increased slightly with mixed forms and graupel constituting the remaining 5 inches of accumulations. As a result there may be a reactive weak layer at the new snow/old snow interface; and this may be exacerbated due to the strong likelihood that there were NSF's on the prestorm snow surface on shady aspects. Steep terrain was exhibiting minimal Loose Snow Dry avalanching late in the day on steep terrain features. And finally, Sundays forecast for 32 degrees and sunny at 9300 feet should help initiate a wet loose avalanche cycle in the new snow. Along with this, the southerly facing steep slopes have firm m/f crusts in place that should allow for these slides to run easily and possibly long. </p> <p>Moderate overall today for wind slabs and lingering persistent slab possibilities. Mostly moderate on Sunday for reasons described above with natural wet loose with solar effects and daytime heating. </p>
Improved riding condition with the new snow. Winds not much of a factor at mid elevations. Speculations and confidence high that the upper elevations were experiencing strong winds and intense loading on E and S facing slopes, as well as cross loading on terrain features.