Observation: Catherine's Pass

Observation Date
12/13/2020
Observer Name
Greg Gagne / Anna Marno
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Catherine's Pass
Location Name or Route
Catherine's Pass Area
Weather
Sky
Broken
Weather Comments
Windless with warming temps. Sky clouded up during the day.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
10"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Wind Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
HS in upper LCC approaching 90 cms in places. Storm snow from Friday/Saturday has settled out to 20-25 cms. Recent wind-drifts were not sensitive to ski cuts.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Poor Snowpack Structure
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
New Snow
Problem #1 Comments
Storm snow has not yet settled into a cohesive slab, but the very low-density snow has settled out and was less prone to sluffing than on Saturday. Overall am finding the weakest snow to be the layer of near-surface facets at the old snow surface that is now buried 20-30 cms down. Currently there is not enough of a slab on top, but forecasted wind and snowfall on Monday may be enough to tip the scales for widespread avalanche activity on this weak layer. The video below describes this setup (we never did edit the beginning!)
Video
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable