Quick report
- Red Flags
- Collapsing, Poor Snowpack Structure
Went up USA Bowl to have a look at the Monitors and No Name it's been a while since I've been there. Ended up skiing Radar Love which we knew didn't have much of the PWL layer, because the early November snow had melted out on the E-SE facing part of the slope, it's also low angle, I wouldn't mess around with the steeper more E-NE part though. Looking around and feeling the snow it was obvious that the slab has gotten denser, due to wind and warmer temperatures. The Monitors and Scott's both had wind pillows on the N facing slopes and looked loaded. Walked out to NN to have a look, it looked much more filled in than the last time I was there and knowing that it had a few feet of old faceted snow at the ground we walked away.
photos: Scott's with wind affect on the face and rime in the west facing trees
Not liking the denser slab much, it's not as touchy and will allow you to get well out on a slope before hitting a thin spot and triggering an avalanche. Still thinking considerable for high wind loaded N facing.
Snowpack
There was 2 to 3 inches of new snow with some graupel added in, seems like it rimed yesterday before the little storm, I was finding it in the trees and under the new snow.