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Observation: White Pine

Observation Date
12/14/2014
Observer Name
Toddeo
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » White Pine
Location Name or Route
White Pine, Red Baldy/Tri Chutes
Weather
Sky
Obscured
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Light snow on and off today. Snow ranged from pellets/gruapel to stellers. 1 inch during the day above 8,500'.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
6"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Dense Loose
Snow Characteristics Comments

4 to 8" depending on elevation. 4" at White Pine trailhead. 8" above 10k.

Red Baldy:

HS is generally 24-30". HST up to 8". Very subtle rime crust at base of new snow.

High spatial variability in underlaying snow pack. Windslabs overlaying slightly damp facets in places. Easy to isolate columns, however they fell easy with only a slight push.

Also some areas of new snow sitting on facets, Easy to punch down onto rocks.

New snow is easy to isolate in all locations.

One other item of note is large areas of thin (HS-18") very damp, sticky, warm snow. Many collapses over air pockets in these areas. This may be a normal occurrence for this area (similar to the hole on skiers left Cardiac Ridge), However, I have never been on RB under such thin conditions and now I know why.

Tri Chutes:

Went to look at high west's in this area. HST up to 8" in this area (>9800'). SSW to west aspects are supportable, dust on crust. New snow is bonded well. Hard to shear base of new snow (only 1 shear in 5 attempts). No rime crust in this area/aspect. Crusts are overlaying damp facets on west aspects.

Red Flags
Red Flags
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Collasping in thin damp areas on Red Baldy. Minor concern. There are enough areas of supportable, pencil hard windslabs sitting over facets to call the danger moderate. I did not find any areas of preserved surface hoar, no indications in shear testing (e.g. no clean Q1 shears)
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
New Snow
Problem #1 Comments

Mostly low danger with the exception of upper elevation areas. These slabs are now buried and harder to detect.

Comments

I noticed a few point releases, none ran very far.

New snow was not as reactive as expected on steep test slopes. Very little sluffing.

The primary hazard is still the thin cover.

Slide for life's may be possible on steep south and west aspects.

Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate