Quick report
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Rapid Warming
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Moderate to strong SW winds on the ridgeline transported snow onto leeward slopes but did not observe any significant recent loading. Around 12 during my exit clouds started to part and heat up slopes more significantly. </p>
P1 - Pit Structure
P2 - Headwall approach
P3 - Price of admission..
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Several strong rain and melt freeze crusts sit atop the DJL across most of the upper elevation aspects. Still a concerning structure over the January facets but it is showing signs of healing and seems more unlikely to be triggered. I would still be cautious with this problem in steeper and thinner terrain, and terrain that has avalanched previously.</p> <p>Obvious drifts off of the ridgelines were easy to navigate. Existing drifts were dense and not sensitive to skis. Strong SW winds in the morning were moving and blowing snow around erratically at times but limited snow available to transport prevented larger drifts from forming. Forecasted warm temps should help lock down these drifts this week. </p>
Superficial refreeze occurred all the way down to the trailhead but was gone by midmorning. Snow surfaces on all aspects and elevations seems to have taken on heat except for some sheltered upper elevation northerly slopes where you can still find several soft turns. Hardly any travelable surfaces below 6500' - admission requires a mile walk before you hit snow.