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Observation: Uintas

Observation Date
12/15/2020
Observer Name
Ted Scroggin
Region
Uintas
Location Name or Route
Gold Hill
Weather
Sky
Broken
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Calm
Weather Comments
Cold December day with some single digit temperatures and almost calm winds. Mostly sunny skies at the trailhead and more partly cloudy around Gold Hill Basin.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
8"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
Looks like around 8" of new snow since yesterday and it is very low density which helped cover some hazards, but I was still very cautious moving around on the sled.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Cracking
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Still quite thin snow conditions and the weak snow structure is a big red flag. Not much weight was added with Monday's storm, but the underlying snow pack is weak and I was observing lots of shallow cracking and some isolated collapsing. The conditions feel like they are getting close to the tipping point once more snow and wind pile up.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
The dreaded buried weak faceted snow is now being tested with each snow and wind event. Not a lot of weight was added with the Monday storm, but each change in the weather can stress these weak layers and eventually avalanches will become more likely.
Comments
It is starting to look a little more like winter, the trailhead this morning received about 6" new snow from Monday.
Out in Gold Hill Basin the riding conditions are slowly improving, I was being very cautious and still found some rocks and logs lurking beneath the new snow.
With only around 18-20" of total snow it is quick to dig down and see what's going on beneath the surface. Right now you can easily identify the old and new snow interface and feel the weak sugary faceted snow near the ground. This snowpack will not handle much of a load when a stronger slab of snow is added on top.
I was observing cracking in the new snow today which is a good indication the snow is starting to become more of a slab and can add stress to the weak snow structure underneath.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates