Obs-Snow Profile: Patsy Marley 11/14/2011

Observer Name:

Dave Kelly

Observation Date:

11/14/2011

Region:

Salt Lake
Little Cottonwood Canyon
Grizzly Gulch
Patsy Marley

Location or Route:

Grizzly Gulch to Patsy Marley

Weather

Sky:

Clear

Wind Direction:

West

Wind Speed:

Calm

Weather Comments:

Winds were calm below the ridge and gusting to moderate on the ridge tops. It was obvious that there had been some wind loading over the past 24 hours.

Snow Characteristics

Snow Surface Conditions:

Powder

Snow Characteristic Comments:

The top 10cm of the snowpack was a combination of small facets, wind blown snow, and graupel in some areas. The slides on Gunsight, ski tracks, and other test pits were filled in with wind blown snow that may have occured over night.

Red Flags

Recent Avalanches

Wind Loading

Cracking

Red Flag Comments:

I observed a lot of recent avalanches. Most notable above the skin track going from Grizzly Gulch to the Patsy Marley Ridgeline. There were two slides (pics below) that appeared to have been skier triggered. There were ski tracks from the top of the ridge into these starting zones from the ridge top. The debris piles did not look deep enough to have buried anyone, but it would have been an unpleasant ride down over rocks if they had been caught. HS S/Ru? D1 R2