Observation Date
3/1/2013
Observer Name
Bill Hunt
Region
Ogden
Location Name or Route
Snowbasin backcountry
Weather
Sky
Obscured
Weather Comments
Some fog up high, above 8800', protecting the snow for a little longer..
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
2"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Wind Crust
Rain-Rime Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
This was another late afternoon tour after work. A variety of conditions out there. Above 9400 feet on Mt Allen, the wind has been moving some snow around; some hard wind crusts still poking through, with a few inches to a few feet of softer snow. Good soft snow in the north facing trees down to about 7500 feet, then a zipper crust, and large rollerballs in north-facing terrain below 7000 feet at 5:30 PM.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Cracking
Rapid Warming
Red Flags Comments
Generally stable, but with some manageable cracking in the newest few inches of windslab. I saw a fair amount of localized cracking and small surface slabs, in the 2 to 4" range, with one 6" pocket up high, no more than snowboard width, in a steep (45 degree) spot.
Hopefully a cool night will restablize the northerly aspects that were rollerballing this evening; we shall see how bad the crusts are in the morning. Clearly, slopes getting direct sun tomorrow for a couple hours could be high hazard.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
After getting a small 6" pocket to crack out at 9500', I checked out a few other test slopes; most did not do anything; some with minor cracking, but one area near a windroll that is often problematic cracked out a couple feet above me, 4" deep and maybe 12 feet wide. This was manageable, but the windroll itself was still below me. It steepens towards thick forest, making it quite consequential. I was within arms reach of solid trees, and decided to set up a quick belay with the 80 foot 7 mil. I gave the windroll some jumps and cuts, but could not get anything else to move (or even crack) in that area.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Wet Snow
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
Tomorrow I plan to avoid anything getting direct sun as much as possible, and be aware of rollerball and wet slide potential on all aspects, especially after noon.
Comments
Below is the same spot I posted a photo of two days ago, near the top of Mt Allen. Note that the lumpy thick windslab formations are eroded down, and more wind deposits have smoothed it out.
Here is an unusual crack running down the fall line, following a wind lip running down the fall line. This was a 6" deep pocket, about snowboard width.
Here is a small windslab that came out a couple feet above me, 2" to 4" deep, perhaps 12 feet wide. This prompted some belayed cuts which did not produce anything.
Cornices were still growing and sensitive, but not propagating on the slope below.
