Observation: Emma Ridges 2/12/2012

Observer Name:

Paradis / Brackelsberg

Region:

Salt Lake
Little Cottonwood Canyon
Emma Ridges

Observation Date:

02/12/2012

Location or Route:

Emma's Ridge

Weather

Sky:

Obscured

Precipitation:

Moderate Snowfall

Wind Direction:

Northeast

Wind Speed:

Moderate

Weather Comments:

At 9am very wet and relatively warm snow. Got soaked going uphill.

Snow Characteristics

New Snow Depth:

New Snow Density:

Medium

Snow Surface Conditions:

Powder

Melt-Freeze Crust

Snow Characteristic Comments:

New snow was not all that well bonded to crusts on south facing slopes. The crust itself was variable - in some places it was easier to get an edge in than others. Other aspects had softer underlying snow & skied well.

Red Flags

Heavy Snowfall

Cracking

Red Flag Comments:

New snow cracked easily on our exit at 2pm. This seemed to happen more where the underlying crust was more firm & provided a better sliding surface. This could be of concern tomorrow with additional snow.

Primary Concern

Primary Concern:

Deep Slabs

Probability:

Moderate

Aspect:

North

Northeast

East

West

Northwest

Elevation:

High

Mid

Trend:

Same

Primary Concern Comments:

Didn't dig anything today but poor snow structure remains concerning.

Secondary Concern

Secondary Concern:

New Snow

Probability:

Considerable

Aspect:

North

Northeast

East

Southeast

South

Southwest

West

Northwest

Elevation:

High

Mid

Trend:

More Dangerous

Secondary Concern Comments:

As shown in the photo below, the new snow cracked easily. At 2pm this was about 5" deep and was easily managed but would be more an issue with snow continuing to fall during the day.

snow_profile_location:

Comments - Photos - Videos (group 1)

Observed Danger Rating:

Considerable

Forecast Danger Rating:

Considerable