Snowpack

Red Lake Bowl, Shoulder of Black Mountain - VA Lakes

Steve MaceEastside Region
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Observation photo 1Observation photo 2Observation photo 3Observation photo 4Observation photo 5Observation photo 6

Quick report

Cracking
isolated
Collapsing
isolated

Headed to the Virginia lakes area today to get a post-storm survey in the northern part of the forecast area.

  • Snow totals in the area were about 4”, with some favorable deposition zones holding closer to 6” of fresh snow.
  • North winds continued to transport snow throughout the day, stripping high-elevation start zones and redistributing snow in atypical ways near treeline.
  • Coverage remains intermittent, with broad areas of exposed rock and dirt across the landscape.
  • Shallow coverage continues to be front of mind when moving through terrain.
- I observed several collapses on today’s tour. All the observed collapses were in areas with recent wind loading. - The most significant collapse rumbled across the slope in a cross-loaded area on an NE aspect at about 10800’. This collapse could be described as slope scale and initiated a shooting crack around 30 meters long. I dug in at this location and found a pretty simple all-be-it-weak snowpack structure. (see photos below) - Some shallower surface cracking was observed on wind-loaded terrain features. These deposits ranged in size from thin dinner plates to about 30 cm of fresh wind deposit.

Weather

Air Temp
18
Cloud Cover
few
Wind Loading
moderate
Recent Snowfall
10-15
Snow Avail For Transport
moderate amounts

It was a cold and windy morning in the Virginia Lakes area. North winds dropped in speed by mid day to more moderate speeds. Blowing snow continued throughout the day.

Snowpack

  • I dug a profile on an NE aspect at about 10,500’ in a wind-affected area near the treeline. My evaluation highlighted two layers of concern.
  • About 20 cm below the surface, a weak layer of faceted snow sandwiched between two stiffer layers of wind packed snow showed itself first. (CTVSc, ECTP4)
  • And the second layer of concern remains the well-developed depth hoar at the base of the snowpack. (CT16 SC, ECTP21)
  • See Profile for more details.