Observation: North Ogden Divide

Observation Date

1/10/2024

Observer Name

Meisenheimer / Staples / Smith

Region

Ogden » North Ogden Divide

Location Name or Route

North Ogden Divide

Weather

Sky

Obscured

Precipitation

Light Snowfall

Wind Direction

Southwest

Wind Speed

Moderate

Weather Comments

Heavy snow at times. Winds mainly on and around ridge tops but blowing steady out of the southwest. Around 11 AM, there was a break in the action where the snowfall lightened up and the cloud deck lifted. A couple of hours later, as we were leaving, the next wave was arriving.

Snow Characteristics

Snow Surface Conditions

Powder

Faceted Loose

Wind Crust

Melt-Freeze Crust

Snow Characteristics Comments

There was roughly 12-14" of new snow in the area. Unfortunetly the north side of the mountain was too dangerous to ride so we suffered back to the car on the southfacing terrain where it was thin, breakable crust, bushes, and of course rocks back to the car.

Red Flags

Recent Avalanches

Heavy Snowfall

Wind Loading

Cracking

Collapsing

Poor Snowpack Structure

Red Flags Comments

All the red flags are there. It's pretty simple right now as we have dangerous conditions on most aspects due to 25 days of high pressure that made our snow surface very weak and faceted. Faceted snow exists on almost all aspects except due south.

Avalanche Problem #1

Problem

Wind Drifted Snow

Problem #1 Comments

Winds were cranking along the upper elevation ridgelines and depositing snow on the lee sides. However, as you got just on the otherside of the ridge the wind wasn't too bad. The biggest issue we face is the faceted snow that is now buried. In the wind zone, this will make the avalanche deeper and wider.

Avalanche Problem #2

Problem

Persistent Weak Layer

Problem #2 Comments

It's a toss-up as to which problem comes first. For today, I think you needed a slope that has been loaded by the wind for it to avalanche. Tomorrow, I think any slope could avalanche, and PWL should come first in the order of problems as it's the faceted snow that is now buried that is the true problem at hand. With more snow and wind on the way, the danger will only stay the same or increase and the avalanche will become larger and more frequent. Stay safe everyone!

Snow Profile

Aspect

Northeast

Elevation

7,000'