Observation: Grizzly Gulch

Quick report

Red Flags

Poor Snowpack Structure

Red Flags Comment

<p>We still have a poor snowpack structure on many polar aspects and that trumps strength. If you go out and look for a strong deep snowpack you will find it, also, if you go out and look for a weaker more shallow snowpack you will find it. That is the problem right now, we still have the ability to trigger large daily avalanches although the likelihood is low. These avalanches could be triggered in shallow snowpacks or near buried trigger points that you don't know are there. The strong, deep areas of the snowpack will give you feedback that you want to go ski steep north facing shots while the shallow more weak areas should still send you running for the hills. </p>

Within our group we dug 2 snowpits today and I will comment on the one that I dug. As pictured NW facing 9500' in Grizzly, HS 195cm with a deep hard slab on top of 45cm FC at the ground. The facets were damp and gaining strength. Doing a CT or ECT in this snowpit would be inappropriate as the weak layer is buried greater than 120cm deep. Instead we performed a deep tap test and recorded DT22 Q2. While it would be hard for a skier or rider to trigger an avalanche on this deep layer the consequences are dire. In our adjacent snowpit about 100' away the HS was more shallow and was weak in terms of strength. The weak points are where we can trigger avalanches right now, they are the worst case scenario and they are out there.