Quick report
- Red Flags
- Heavy Snowfall, Wind Loading, Cracking, Collapsing, Rapid Warming, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Periods of S5/rapid loading w/ GP produced conditions for natural sluffing of the PPgp on steeper slopes. Lots of wind and moving snow, although not a ton of AST due to the denser snow. Crackig within the new snow and quiet subtle collapses, which I assumed were the thick slab on top of the lighter density powder (not PWL collapses). Lower down the canyon, the rain was producing loose avalanches. Although the upside-down snow had me suspecting new snow instabilities, even out of the wind zone, many quick hand-shear tests showed decent bonding and moderately resistant breaks within the fresh snow. Unable to initiate the storm slab out of the wind zone <35* slopes. I didn't find the opportunity or desire to test steeper slopes while out.</p>
The snowpack is getting quite deep. ~200cm deep around 9,000' in very protected trees. Trees, bridges and summer trails are becoming buried and unrecognizable in places. Very northwest-esque looking out there.
Photos of the PPgp and the deep snow/snow-caked and buried trees.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Appeared to need >35* slopes to initiate avalanches, except for the DL graupel.</p> <p>I avoided getting into the wind zone purposely today. However, very protected areas around 9,400' still had strong gusts around 14:00, leading to the assumption that wind slabs were forming on all aspects mid and upper elevations. The dense snow surface limited the AST, shallow ski and pen, deep boot pen.</p>
Traveled between 7,650'/White Pine TH up to about 9,600'. White pine TH was close to the snow/rain line in the morning and afternoon. Much of the precip was PPgp, with higher PI in the PM hours w/ increased gusty winds. The upside-down storm produced some of the most energy-intensive trail-breaking today (although shin-deep/limited ski pen, much more effort than some of the thigh-hip-deep days the last few weeks). Boot pen was rather deep vs the shallow ski pen. Was seeing about 4" of dense snow over lighter-density snow.