Sign Up for the Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop (USAW) on December 7th!

Observation: Park City Ridgeline

Observation Date
1/28/2015
Observer Name
mark white
Region
Salt Lake » Park City Ridgeline
Location Name or Route
PC Ridgeline
Weather
Sky
Overcast
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Foggy, warm and damp, rain snow line a little above 7000ft, green housing was also noted when the sun filtered through the clouds.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
1"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments

Half of an inch of snow at Solitude went to a whopping one inch at 10'000ft. new snow was medium density and damp up to 8600ft. Some light snowfall during the day added up to zero.

Comments

Figured an inch of snow was better than no snow, but it didn't do a whole lot to change conditions except in the few areas with pre existing soft snow which are few and far between. New snow seemed to bond well to most surfaces, with the exception of steep hard wind loaded slopes, and where it was sitting on a steep slope with old faceted snow under it. I could pop out a few winds slabs in the exposed steep loaded terrain, very minor and I could get surface sluffing to run quite a ways in the steep faceted terrain also minor. Damp snow below 8600ft was roller balling and quite saturated as was the snow underlying it. Also could get some cracking on the ridge line, and the cornices were damp and droopy. Photos, wind slab in steep wind loaded terrain with a hard bed surface, sluffing in steep faceted terrain, cracking on the ridge line, natural occurring roller balls below 8600ft, small soft slab debris.

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