Quick report
- Red Flags
- Rapid Warming, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Significant warming today when compared to the previous day resulted in wet loose acitivity below 8000, and continual escalating daytime highs may bring about more of the same on Wednesday. </p> <p>Poor snowpack structure throughout the snowpack on the shady aspects exists, and NCF's, recrystalized graupel, and depth hoar up to at least 14 inches are well established and in place. Note the photo which indicates significant graupel pooling as seen from pit taken at the top the riders left chute in the White Cliffs area in Pioneer Bowl. And, this 10 to 14 inch layer of graupel showed very little signs of cohesion with a fist plus hardness. Also of note was the fact that in this location the DH was fist plus and a bit more cohesive than pit and scores observed on the previous day near Catherines Basin. </p>
Note significant graupel pooling as indicated by the expanding and larger stripe of recrystallized graupel.. These areas in steep terrain under cliff bands will be suspect once the next load comes in either in the form of snowfall and or any increasing winds.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Isolated pockets of wind slabs appeared to be more stubborn and less reactive. Despite this, the possibility of stumbling across terrain features that our housing wind slabs in steep upper elevation terrain still existed. </p> <p>Small wet loose avalanches were observed in the mid to lower elevations on steep southerly facing terrain features. Also, significant dry loose activity was easily triggered on northerly facing steep slope.</p> <p>The previously cited poor snowpack structure may not be a problem currently due to the fact that the latest event only provided around an inch of water, but continued cold overnight lows and moderate afternoon temperatures will continue to help generate more metamorphic development and faceting throughout the snowpack. The rain crust was showing signs of breaking down in many locations, but is still evident; and the facet development above and below it continues to offer a potential initial weak layer of concern.</p>
By 1000 hours SE aspects at 10200 with slope angles > 25 degrees were beginning to get damp. M/F crusts will now be found on SE, S and SW aspects that have slope angles > 25 degrees. HS in the upper 100 feet of Greenslope was very minimal, though once you got down lower in the slope the total snow was much deeper. Wind crusts and shallow snow resulting from scouring during the storm were observed on upper elevation exposed terrain features above 9800 feet.
Riding on the shady upper elevation aspects continues to offer excellent powder turning in up to 14 inches of light density with the buried rain crust keeping things supportable.
Settlement appeared to be minimal in this period just 12 hours after the latest event ended.