Observation: No Name Bowl

Observation Date
1/4/2015
Observer Name
mark white
Region
Salt Lake » Park City Ridgeline » No Name Bowl
Location Name or Route
No Name Bowl
Weather
Sky
Broken
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Overcast to broken skies, moderate wind on the ridge tops from the west, wind was swirling down in the drainage bottoms moving snow.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments

Powder in wind protected terrain on all aspects except south which had a melt freeze crust that did not soften much. Wind crust in wind exposed terrain.

Red Flags
Red Flags
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
The snow pack structure is poor but the slab is rotting out and relaxing and there is no load to create activity.
Comments

Went to my favorite spot for near surface faceting and was not disappointed, the surface snow in No Name Bowl has become quite weak in the last few days, sluffing in steeper terrain was the norm and the sluffs would entrain a fair amount of snow. Digging down into the pack reveled that the slab has relaxed and in thinner spots rotted out almost completely once again. Did note one small pocket that pulled out into old faceted snow close to the ground but the timing on it seems a while back, thought it was an old snow pit at first but spotted the debris in the trees down below. Wind was moving snow in the bottom of the drainage and filling in tracks and the skin trail after every run. Photos sluffing initiated with ski cuts in the steeper terrain, Small pocket that pulled out, wind filling in the skin trail and tracks rapidly.

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