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Observation: Scott Hill

Observation Date
12/18/2024
Observer Name
Talty
Region
Salt Lake » Park City Ridgeline » Scott Hill
Location Name or Route
Scott Hill
Weather
Sky
Few
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Beautiful day in the mountains. Moderate winds from the west and temperatures rose to the mid 30's F by early afternoon.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Wind Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
The new snow since last weekend remains soft on slopes protected from the wind. Along ridgelines, the wind has worked the recent snow into supportable surfaces. Great riding conditions can be found on low-angle shady slopes.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Snow Profile
Aspect
North
Elevation
9,900'
Slope Angle
25°
Comments
Today's travel was from Guardsman Pass to Scott Hill along the PC ridgeline. Hoping to get a feel for how communicative our snowpack is, I hunted for collapses and found only a few. After one particularly loud collapse along a wind-drifted north-facing slope at 9900’, a quick snowpit revealed a weak structure with facets beneath the wind-drifted snow. The pit was in a less wind-loaded area (it was challenging to find a safe, representative spot to dig) and no propagation occurred in my ECTs. I would expect different results on heavily wind-loaded slopes.
No new avalanches were observed, and signs of instability were not jumping out in this zone. Digging into the snow tells another story and it’s easy to find old, faceted snow beneath the surface on shady slopes.
Pic 1: Snowpit showing layer of greatest concern (PWL)
Pic 2: Wind loaded north-facing slope, steer clear
Pic 3: Faceted crystals 2' beneath the snow surface
Pic 4: Aspect check
Pic 5: Very nice
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable
Coordinates