Obs-Snow Profile: Richards Hollow 1/6/2012

Observer Name:

weed

Region:

Logan
Left Hand Fork-Blacksmith Fork
Richards Hollow

Observation Date:

01/06/2012

Weather

Sky:

Scattered

Wind Direction:

West

Wind Speed:

Moderate

Weather Comments:

A bit cooler than yesterday with a west breeze...

Snow Characteristics

Snow Surface Conditions:

Powder

Faceted Loose

Melt-Freeze Crust

Snow Characteristic Comments:

12-28 rime crust much thinner in the Logan Peak Area.... Found some nice soft Colorado-like recrystallized conditions in sheltered northeast and east facing terrain.... Shallow snow faceted and weak. Could not find much of a slab, with windblown new and crusty snow only a couple inches deep capping facets in deepest checked location....

Red Flags

Cracking

Red Flag Comments:

only some shallow localized cracking in previously drifted terrain

Primary Concern

Primary Concern:

Wind Slabs

Probability:

Moderate

Aspect:

Northeast

East

Elevation:

High

Trend:

Same

Primary Concern Comments:

I didn't find any significant wind slabs deeper than a couple inches. But then I didn't really get too far out into drifted terrain....

Elevation:

8900'

Aspect:

Northeast

Slope Angle:

snow_profile_location:

United States

41° 43' 33.9672" N, 111° 41' 7.2168" W

Comments - Photos - Videos (group 1)

I could see a few old crowns from last year's wind slab avalanches in terrain exposed to wind drifting. This one is off Horse Ridge, south of Providence Peak...

Comments - Photos - Videos (group 2)

The east side of Providence Peak is badly scoured off up high and does not look very appealing today.....

Comments - Photos - Videos (group 3)

The shallow snow is very weak, with well developed sugary faceted snow or depth hoar throughout. Currently there just isn't enough of a slab above the junk for the snow to be unstable in most areas I've looked at....

Observed Danger Rating:

Moderate

Forecast Danger Rating:

Moderate

Snow Profile Location

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