Quick report
- Aspect
- West
- Red Flags
- Cracking, Collapsing, Rapid Warming, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 3078 m
- Slope Angle
- 22°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Wild to be out on such a warm spring day, at relatively low elevations, and to experience such continued widespread collapsing. I've got to think that the heat over the past few days will start to temper this problem, today was by far the warmest, but with what I observed today it seems like human triggered avalanches remain likely on all of the shady, northerly aspects, and only slightly less so on W and SE. I dug a pit and did an ECT on a W aspect at 10,100' and scored ECTP 16. I'm thinking Considerable danger for at least one more day. </p>
I dug this snowpit on a relatively low elevation, westerly aspect and scored an ECTP 16 on buried near surface facets.
ECTP 19 on W aspect at 10,100'.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>The persistent weak layer of buried near surface facets is widespread W-N-SE near and below treeline, with the weakest snow hanging out on sheltered, northerly aspects. Above treeline, the distribution is more spotty due to wind events during the extended period of high pressure. I expect the warm days will take the edge off things, particularly on W and er the next day or two, but human triggered avalanches on this weak layer will remain possible for some time on northerly aspects. </p> <p>In spite of the warm temperatures, I've seen very little evidence of loose wet avalanches, and with the continued cycle of melt freeze, the danger for this type of avalanche will continue to decrease. </p>
Mixed spring conditions with damp snow and sun crusts on solar aspects, and settled powder on shady ones.