A few inches of heavy snow, sustained southwest wind, rain, and mild temperatures created heightened avalanche conditions on steep slopes in the backcountry. Southwest winds increased again last night, sustaining wind speeds in the thirty mph range overnight and gusted to 45 mph early this morning at the CSI Logan Peak weather station, and it's currently 29 degrees at 9700'. It's been consistently mild, currently 36 degrees at the 8400' Tony Grove SNOTEL. The station reports 5 inches of accumulation Monday night containing an even inch of water, and there's 23 inches of total snow on the ground containing 69% of average water content for the date.
Loose faceted snow crystals plague the shallow snowpack in the Logan Zone are now capped by a few inches of plaster-like heavy snow and rime. (12-8-2015)
Words of warning: Very shallow, early season conditions exist, and you are still likely to hit rocks or woody debris in most areas. The Tony Grove Road is not maintained in the winter for wheeled vehicles, and road conditions are icy, snowy, drifted-in and treacherous, so come prepared. The Tony Grove Area is a shared use area and very popular in the early season, so please watch your speed, use patience, and be respectful of other users. For easier access, Beaver Mt. allows uphill travel and appreciates early season users packing down the weak snow. Remember while the lifts are closed, the area is considered backcountry .
It's time to dust off and check the condition of your avalanche rescue equipment. Review and practice Companion Avalanche Rescue with our video..........HERE****
I noticed a couple small loose sluffs involving old faceted snow near Double Top in the Steep Hollow Area last week. There have been no other reports of avalanche activity in the Logan backcountry recently.