Observation: Mill D North

Observation Date
1/6/2022
Observer Name
Bo Torrey
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Mill D North
Location Name or Route
Mill D North to Dog Lake
Weather
Sky
Overcast
Precipitation
Mixed Snow-Rain
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Light rain and snow mix falling at Spruces Parking lot at 8:00 AM this morning. Light precipitation continued for a few hours before tapering off mid-morning. Winds were light out of the west-northwest- we did not travel on exposed ridges. Skies remained mostly cloudy throughout the day.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
10"
New Snow Density
High
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
Obvious density change between the new snow and the old snow surface. The new snow was dense and thick enough that you were riding on top and not having your tips diving underneath. The dense snow skied fast on slopes less than 30-degrees.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Poor Snowpack Structure
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
The danger was not in your face and obvious where we traveled today between 7300' and 8800'. We did not experience any cracking and collapsing or observe any new avalanche activity. Mill D North area received about 10-inches of new snow with 1.9 inches of snow-water equivalent since Tuesday evening. The snowpack appeared to support the new load without a noticeable increase in the overall sensitivity on mid-elevation slopes. Stability tests showed mixed results with some ECT' tests propagating and others not. Regardless, the snowpack structure is still alarming. Of note, we did observe a thin layer of small near-surface facets mid snowpack that likely formed during the break in storms prior to Christmas. This layer did propagate in our extended column tests on mid-elevation slopes facing west and south but did not propagate on a northeast-facing slope.
Snow Profile
Aspect
Northeast
Elevation
8,800'
Slope Angle
15°
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable
Coordinates