Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Wind Loading
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Wind affects were widespread. Cornices were growing along the Cutler headwall ridgeline, and there were bidirectional wind lips on the ridges of the birthday bowls. Leeward sides of the hogs back and dead tree were growing pillows.</p> <p>The Willard avalanches reported yesterday were all but filled in from the wind. We noted what appeared to be fresh deposition from a D2 slide on a NE aspect a couple hundred feet below the ridgeline south of Willard, stopping on a bench above the rocks (photo below). We also noted wet loose activity on the south side of Island Peak (not sure if from today or 20230107) and a small pocket (D1) that had ripped in the new/wind affected snow near the summit (looked like cross loading on an E aspect). Finally, we intentionally triggered a D1 avalanche in a N facing constriction around 7800ft on a 40 degree convex roll. This failed about 10cm deep x 50ft wide in the cohesive 4F surface snow.</p>
Not the best photos given the distance, but annotations hopefully clear that up for the both the headwall and Island Peak activity.
Wind-blown snow plumes today.
Snowpack
I found a similar low elevation surface crust yesterday in the Sardine Peak zone as Greg reported on Cutler, but this morning it had all but disappeared. Surface snow was still soft, but relatively dense, ranging from F to 4F and cohesive. At low elevations, hand shears were easy, sliding on the crust 30cm deep. At mid elevations, bonding was better, with medium/hard shears about 60cm down on moist snow.
In exposed and not-so-exposed areas, wind affected snow took the form of wind skin or surface wind slabs ranging from 4F to 1F+ in spots.
Sheltered locations held soft turns despite wind even in those spots, but things were on the dense side.