Quick report
- Red Flags
- Heavy Snowfall, Wind Loading
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Steady moderate snowfall and gusty northwest winds likely created sensitive wind drifts along the upper ridge lines and poor visibility prevented me from getting into higher terrain. Snow showers through the night should keep an elevated hazard.</p>
A good storm for the north slope and a re-set back to winter powder conditions. Don't put the sleds away yet.
The new snow should bond to the old warm snow surface which in many places is a supportable crust. There is damp snow under the crust, but I was not finding it to be overly saturated and the bottom is not falling out in the mid elevation areas.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Generally, the new snow should bond well to the old warm snow surface, but gusty northwest winds have created some sensitive wind drifts on upper elevation ridge lines. These could easily break a few feet deep and entrain a lot of the new snow.</p>
New snow was generally low density, but still had some body to it making for nice riding and turning. The old surface was warm before the storm arrived and things seemed to bond quite well and only minor sluffing on steeper slopes.