Observation Date
2/28/2023
Observer Name
T Diegel
Region
Salt Lake » Mill Creek Canyon » Porter Fork
Location Name or Route
Porter Fork
Comments
Some impressive snow numbers in the Cottonwoods and PC; not sure if it came in mostly right side up but it didn't feel that deep in Mill Creek/Porter fork. It felt to us that it was more like a foot+. We dug a few quick hand pits on NE and SE facing slopes and found pretty good bonding to the old snow surfaces, which - based on recent history - was partly windslab, partly powder (sometimes practically adjacent to each other) and a sun/wind crust on south facing. We stayed off exposed ridges to avoid windslab, and were on mostly lower-angle terrain, but gave a good hard cut on a steep SE-facing slope that got a decent-sized sluff to run a couple hundred feet, which was encouraging (better sluff than avy). Of course, not sure what another foot or more will do on this new snow, but with moderately/consistently cold temps there should be decent bonding.....IF there isn't significant wind loading/slab development in the kind of specific terrain that is affected by The Wind. It seems that with lots of great snow this year, has come with the price of lots of great wind as well (I finally learned what cyclogenesis is!).
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates