Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Wind Loading, Rapid Warming, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>New snow and lots of wind up high forming fresh wind drifts breaking up to a foot deep. Did not have much visibility today, but would imagine some natural avalanches were happening during the day with strong winds and new snow. Damp unsupportable snow was reported in some of the lower areas. </p>
Up around the Bald Mt. area the snow is really starting to pile-up. In sheltered areas the riding and turning is quite good on a mostly supportable base. Visiting the Mirror Lake snow plot site today to clean solar pannels off, the snow had buried the enclosure box which indicates a reasonablly deep snow pack at this elevation.
Stomping around on some small safe test slopes, I was able get some fresh wind drifts to break at my skies and sled 10-12" deep. These could likely get deeper and more sensitive with continued strong winds that are forecasted.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>With the current poor snow pack structure found throughout the range and big scary avalanches being triggered and occuring naturally the high hazard is real out there. This weekend could be an interesting test for the snow pack with another storm today and strong winds and a jump in temperatures that could activate buried weak layers. </p> <p>Strong winds this afternoon and new snow have created fresh wind drifts that were breaking up to a foot deep along some of the higher ridgelines. Cornices have grown very large and are sensitive to any additional weight from a person.</p>
Dense wind blown snow at the upper elevations and in wind exposed terrain, but in sheltered areas the snow rides quite nice. Heard some reports of damp snow and the bottom falling out around the Gold Hill area.