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Observation: Wolverine Cirque

Observation Date
2/24/2019
Observer Name
Tomasz Stefankowski
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Wolverine Cirque
Location Name or Route
Wolverine Cirque
Weather
Sky
Broken
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Strong
Weather Comments
Winds were all over the place in Wolverine Cirque, and in the bottom of the cirque moderate East/NE winds were noted. By mid afternoon on top of the Patsy ridge line winds were strong and coming from the West.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Wind Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
Overnight winds had there way with exposed terrain. The skintrack I put in yesterday was completely gone today and scouring was widespread. We rode an E facing shot that skied well up top, although conditions deteriorated lower in the chute. Trending towards the Twin Lakes, north facing shots that were powdery yesterday developed an annoying wind crust.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Wind Loading
Cracking
Red Flags Comments
Along the Patsy Marley ridgeline I was able to trigger shallow wind drifts that didn't run far given the low angle but are cause for concern with continued wind loading in steeper terrain. Some shooting cracks ran over 20' in front of my skis.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
Biggest red flag that I ran into today was a 30' wide wind slab on a NE aspect at 9900' that ran around 50 feet. Crown was about 8" and the debris was dense. I believe this slide was skier triggered from today.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates