This snowpit showed 2 weak buried layers on a southeast aspect. The first was rounding buried surface hoar 10"-12" below the surface that did not propagate with stability tests. The layer of greatest concern was 1.5'-2' down and was rounding facets above a melt-freeze crust. This layer did fail with propagation on ECT's but not until 28 and 30 taps. These small grained (.5mm) crystals had rounding edges. This weak layer above a crust has been the layer of concern in snowpits on east-southeast aspects in many of the mountain areas of northern Utah. This layer usually settles out- but in this case it hasn't settled yet. In our travels today we chose to avoid traveling on steep east-southeast terrain over 30 ° in steepeness. On some southeast aspects over 10,000' we found over 300cm (10') of snow and not 25' feet away we could see wildflowers, rocks, and brush sticking through. This problem is interesting in that it isn't everywhere, but where we are finding it it seems to be reactive and propagating with stability tests as well as recent avalanche activity on this layer in the northern part of the Provo Region.

Read Mark Staples' write up of this close call HERE.

Photo of wind-drifted snow avalanches on northeast facing aspects near Provo Peak from the last storm that included wind-loading from southwest winds.

Moab Forecaster Dave Garcia checking out a tree while ascending the ridge. There is more than avalanches and scrub oak outside of Moab.