Quick report
- Red Flags
- Heavy Snowfall, Wind Loading, Collapsing, Poor Snowpack Structure
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Midday Wx NO, scattered sky, light wind N. </p> <p>HN24=8-10" low density storm snow described as powder and wind crust. Today beginnings of slab formation due to overnight SW winds and just above freezing temp bonding activity.</p> <p>Collapsing just off skin track even at low elevations (6500-7000'). Ski penetration (25cm) thru new snow to PWL. Direct reports from higher elevations (>8k') = widespread cracking. Low angle turning snow excellent at slow speeds and heightened awareness to avoid thin snowpack obstacles.</p> <p>Several hasty pits b/w 6500-7500' across NW thru NE aspects and slopes >35deg expose the chronic poor structure with "lemons" (soft SS atop shallow snowpack, on thin weak layer, facetted grains). Couple this with smooth shearing (Q2) at the WL = kept to low elevations for turns and attentive to slope angles including atop convexities and traps below. </p>