Observation: 10420

Observation Date
3/7/2024
Observer Name
Bruce Tremper
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » 10420
Location Name or Route
Peak 10,420
Weather
Sky
Broken
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Speed
Calm
Weather Comments
Light snow earlier in the day and some sun breaking through in afternoon. Cooler than yesterday with lighter snow.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
8"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
Snow was quite delightful. There seemed to be about 8 inches of new snow from the past 24 hours on top of some older, somewhat denser snow from a couple days ago, so it felt more like 10-12 inches of new snow. Right in the Goldilocks zone. Even got face shots in steeper terrain. One of the better days of the year.
Red Flags
Red Flags Comments
Really no red flags that I noticed. We took three laps on the northeast bowl off the 10,420 summit and another down the timbered NW facing forest back to Guardsman's pass trailhead. All excellent powder with not many tracks. Even though 10,420 often catches quite a bit of wind, I found no sign of lingering wind slab from previous wind. All the new snow was draped over the terrain uniformly with no wind drifting within the most recent snow.. All the new snow stayed in place very well. I dug 2-3 quick hand pits in the top 2 feet of the snow looking for any weakness on the dust layer from about a week ago that some people have reported. But it all seemed well bonded. We felt comfortable skiing some 35 degree rollovers in the open NE facing terrain, no stuffing, no slabs. So, not much to report avalanche-wise, which is good. Seems like somewhere between low and moderate danger. If we get sun tomorrow, as forecast, there will likely be the usual round of damp and wet avalanche activity within the new snow on sunny aspects, stuffs, rollerballs, the usual.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates