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Observation: Little Water

Observation Date
12/15/2022
Observer Name
Blake Quinton
Region
Salt Lake » Mill Creek Canyon » Little Water
Location Name or Route
Little Water hiking trail entrance
Red Flags
Red Flags
Cracking
Collapsing
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
Took my Nordic skis to the top of Millcreek then continued up the Little Water Trail for 500 feet to get to 5 miles. I was cutting the trail for these 500'.
To get up the slight rise just past the bridge I had to stomp my skis into the slope. This stomping shot cracks into the trees with enough force to make two large trees release all their snow. The last time I saw this behavior the pwl was having trouble adjusting to the new weight of snow. Large avalanches followed.
This occurred in north facing trees at 7650'.
There were also a large number of slough-a-lanches running down the steeper sections of the south face. These were primarily set off by tree bombs. They ran from 7200' to 7600' which encompassed about 1/4 mile of the trail.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
High
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
High
Coordinates