Observation: Electric Lake 11/26/2010

Observer Name: 
D Trotter S Cote
Region: 
Electric Lake
Skyline
Observation Date: 
11/26/2010
Location or Route: 
Lower Electric Lake
Weather
Sky: 
Clear
Weather Comments: 

Inversion in place, patchy fog in lower drainages burned off with the sun coming up.  Could feel inversion as we descended into drainage

Snow Characteristics

Snow Surface Conditions: 
Powder
Snow Characteristic Comments: 

60-65 cm on ground in the area, watching snotel sites, the further south you go, the shallower the pack is.  For right now, feel good about pack in sheltered slopes, much like Brett remarked about Central Wasatch earlier this season.  Different story on ridgetops and summit. Wind has been busy, as usual for Plateau, with significant damage at highest elevations.  Cornice stomping on GE hill roadside test slope snapped out refrigerator sized chunks that remained intact.  Natural activity along Wedding Ring Ridge also left large divit's and rolled to the bottom unscathed. 

We are feeling good about the layering in the Northern part of the plateau, but worried more about southern end, Ephriam Canyon, etc. 

Our second snowpit was more northernly and while showing the same overall structure, the wind skin was thicker, and the ECT would not propagate or fail at all.  Reminds me of Brett's early assessment of the Central Wasatch and we are hopeful for keeping the storms coming and a strenghening snowpack. 

 

Red Flags

Wind Loading
Cracking
Red Flag Comments: 

Sensitive Cornices

Primary Concern

Primary Concern: 
Cornice Fall
Probability: 
Considerable
Aspect: 
Northeast
East
Southeast
Elevation: 
High
Trend: 
Same
Primary Concern Comments: 

Hard slabs and cornice fall difficult to predict, but strong enough to lure you out

Secondary Concern

Elevation: 
Mid
Secondary Concern Comments: 

Faceting of surface snow and interface with Sunday's storm

Elevation: 
9200'
Aspect: 
East
Slope Angle: 
30
Slide1.JPG
snow_profile_location: 
United States
39° 38' 14.7192" N, 111° 14' 52.1376" W
Comments - Photos - Videos (group 1)

Snowmobile compaction on Big Drift

November 26 2010 010.jpg
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Comments - Photos - Videos (group 2)

Wind Damage above Lake Fork

November 26 2010 009.jpg
Observed Danger Rating: 
Low
Forecast Danger Rating: 
Low
Snow Profile Location
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