Observation: Maybird Gulch 3/31/2011

Observer Name:

Bruce Tremper

Region:

Maybird Gulch
Little Cottonwood Canyon
Salt Lake

Observation Date:

03/31/2011

Weather

Sky:

Clear

Wind Direction:

West

Wind Speed:

Moderate

Weather Comments:

We went to the uper cirque in Maybird Gulch in Little Cottonwood Canyon to the Maybird - Hogum divide just below the Pfeifferhorn.

Weather was stunningly beautiful day with bluebird skies, warm temperature and a stiff wind to help keep the snow surface cool at least in the upper elevation wind exposed terrain.

Snow Characteristics

New Snow Depth:

11"

New Snow Density:

High

Snow Surface Conditions:

Rain-Rime Crust

Damp

Snow Characteristic Comments:

My mother always taught me that if you don't have anything good to say about someone, don't say anything at all. So I should remain silent on the astoundingly horrid snow conditions with unturnable, breakable rime crust above 10,000' and wet, manky snow below that elevation.

Red Flags

Recent Avalanches

Wind Loading

Rapid Warming

Red Flag Comments:

Very warm with widespread damp to wet sluffs, slabs and rollerballs on all sun exposed slopes within the new snow about a foot deep. The wet avalanches started from the 11,000' ridgelines on south facing slopes and nearly all the south-facing slidepaths above the highway ran to mid track. East and west facing slopes produced rollerballs most of the day up to about 10k.

The only areas that escaped the wet activity were north facing slopes above 10k and they were heavily wind damaged with suspicious-looking wind drifts but most of them are capped by a breakable rime crust.

Cornices continue to be huge.

Primary Concern

Primary Concern:

Wet Avalanches

Probability:

High

Aspect:

East

Southeast

South

Southwest

West

Elevation:

Mid

Low

Trend:

More Dangerous

Primary Concern Comments:

On Friday the main hazard will be wet avalanche activity from even warmer temperatures and with the absence of wind, it should really cook. Everything that did not come down today will come down on Friday. Some of these wet sluffs and slabs could be quite large. It was only involving the surface snow today (top foot or so) but with continued strong percolation, it could break into deeper layers.

Secondary Concern

Secondary Concern:

Cornice Fall

Probability:

Considerable

Elevation:

High

Trend:

More Dangerous

Secondary Concern Comments:

The cornices are huge and with continued strong warming, we will likely see widespread calving of cornices and some of these could trigger deeper, more dangerous avalanches.

snow_profile_location:

Comments - Photos - Videos (group 1)

Video 1:

Observed Danger Rating:

Considerable

Forecast Danger Rating:

High