Observation: Iron Mine

Observation Date

1/16/2024

Observer Name

Staples & Deutschlander

Region

Uintas » Iron Mine

Location Name or Route

Iron Mine Mtn

Weather

Sky

Clear

Weather Comments

Calm, clear, sunny day with cool temperatures

Snow Characteristics

Snow Characteristics Comments

Powder. Storms since Jan 5 have come with a lot of wind including last weekend. Winds had reached well into normally sheltered areas.

Red Flags

Collapsing

Poor Snowpack Structure

Red Flags Comments

We experienced collapsing all day long

Avalanche Problem #1

Problem

Persistent Weak Layer

Trend

Same

Problem #1 Comments

Buried facets are the main issue

Comments

We only had an afternoon field day due to my being stupid and breaking an A arm at the beginning of the day.

Three takeaways from today:

We experienced collapsing all day long. This tells me that the buried December facets are still stressed from recent snow and can produce an avalanche.
Winds affected many many slopes. I was surprised to see large drifts on normally sheltered terrain.
The December facets still have only Fist hardness and they remain very weak. Additionally now they have a large, thick, hard slab on top of them (4-5 feet thick).

Video

Today's Observed Danger Rating

High

Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating

Considerable

Coordinates