Observation Date
3/12/2016
Observer Name
Ted Scroggin
Region
Uintas » Bear River Ranger District » Bear River West Fork » Moffit Peak SE Face
Location Name or Route
Moffit Peak
Weather
Sky
Scattered
Wind Direction
Southwest
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Another mild morning with partly cloudy skies and it did not take long for the sun to soften things up. The afternoon was mostly cloudy with breaks of sun and some light snowfall began late in the day over the high terrain.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
Just a shallow refreeze this morning and enough to rattle your teeth a bit with frozen ruts, but things quickly softened as the warm sun hit the snow. Still great riding conditions out in the Whitney area with mostly supportable snow for a few hours on the east and south facing slopes, while nice settled dry snow is found on due north and sheltered areas out of the wind.
Red Flags
Red Flags Comments
No red flags observed.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
I did not come across any wind slab issues in my travels, but there is plenty of wind affected snow along the ridgelines and there could be a lingering wind slab that is still reactive to a riders weight. Increasing winds tomorrow could bump up the hazard although snow available for transport is minimal.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
If the weather forecast holds true and we get the strong winds, snow and some water weight those shallow snowpack areas could become more active again.
Comments
1. Nice supportable melt freeze conditions this morning making for easy travel. 2. Things were pretty quiet on the north side of Moffit Peak this morning and what a great time of year to ride and explore the bigger terrain.
Let's hope this approaching storm deleivers some much needed snow.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Low
