Observation: Tolgate Canyon 1/23/2012

Observer Name:

Janulaitis

Region:

Salt Lake
Tolgate Canyon

Observation Date:

01/23/2012

Location or Route:

Tollgate area

Weather

Sky:

Few

Snow Characteristics

New Snow Depth:

New Snow Density:

Low

Snow Characteristic Comments:

About 2 feet of new snow. The lower snow was obviously heavy snow recevied during the bluk of the strom. The top 6 inches were very low density. While watching radars during the strom the lake effect hose was cleary ontop the Tollgate area. Armed with locally made powder skis were were able to ski the top 6 inches of low density snow without breaking through. Take off both yours skis to put skins on and you would punch through to your waist.

Red Flags

Heavy Snowfall

Cracking

Collapsing

Red Flag Comments:

Skiing aspens at about 30 degrees, 8400ft, dead north collapsing or whumping was constant. Many collapses propagated 100 yards. Even after our 4th skin up we were still getting the snow to collapse. I started to become numb to the whumping sound. Had we been outside the dense aspen forest on open slopes with more angle and less dead wood under the snow pack anchoring the lower old hard slab the results seems very clear.

Primary Concern

Primary Concern:

Deep Slabs

Probability:

Extreme

Aspect:

North

Elevation:

Mid

Trend:

Same

snow_profile_location: