Observation Date
12/3/2022
Observer Name
Greg Gagne
Region
Ogden » Powder Mountain Backcountry
Location Name or Route
Powder Mountain Backcountry
Weather
Sky
Broken
Wind Direction
Southwest
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Winds were in the 20's mph and sustained, with some drifting along open ridgelines.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Wind Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
Friday's storm snow settled out to 15-20 cms (6-8") on top of the 50 cms (18-20") that fell earlier this week.
HS 8,500' - 9,500' is about a meter +/- 20 cms. Although in wind-loaded terrain, the snowpack is closer to 1.5 meters deep.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Wind Loading
Cracking
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Numerous collapses observed throughout the day, failing on the layer of faceted snow that was preserved prior to the 11/29 storm.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
The November PWL layer is now buried about 50-60 cms deep, although in areas with wind-loading, over a meter deep. Numerous collapses today and several poor pit scores with full propagation < 10 taps.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Same
Problem #2 Comments
Southwest winds were creating pockets of fresh wind drifts along exposed ridgelines. With increasing winds Sunday and Monday, fresh wind drifts are likely.
Comments
Photo and video of NE aspect at 8,500 with ECTP5
Video
In areas without a stronger slab on top of the buried facets, pit scores were ECTN (no propagation). This correlates with other field observations in the Ogden and Salt Lake mountains where you need a stronger/denser slab on top of the buried facets to produce avalanches. My biggest concern is areas that were wind-loaded during the Wednesday/Thursday wind event or later this weekend where the strong wind slab on top of facets has the structure to produce large avalanches. Video below explains this further.
Video
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable
Coordinates
