Observation Date
2/6/2025
Observer Name
Gagne/Johnston
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » White Pine
Location Name or Route
White Pine
Comments
Travel today was upper White Pine into Glacier Bowl with an exit through the Spire. Today's persistent winds were drifting some snow, but after such a long-duration wind event, it seems that there is now little snow left available for transport, and the snow surface is now mostly old wind slabs and sastrugi, covered with a thin layer of graupel.
We dug two pits - focusing on the layer of near-surface facets from late-January that were buried underneath storm snow from this past weekend and wind drifts from this long-duration wind event.
Both pits were on west aspects, but shading from adjacent terrain made them more northerly:
Pit #1 - 9,300' ECTN15 down 25 cms in late-Jan facets on a non wind-loaded slope.
Pit#1 - 9,700' ECTP21 down 45 cms in a late-Jan facets on a wind-loaded slope with a 1F-hard wind slab. (We repeated the test with the same results.)
In terrain without wind-loading, it seems triggering an avalanche is unlikely, but the full propagation on the wind-loaded slope informs us triggering an avalanche is still possible.
The good news is that warm weather over the past several days has helped heal this weak layer of late-Jan facets and it is showing signs of strengthening.
The existing snow surface is not weak, and the anticipated snow on Friday is expected to come in warm which should help it bond to the snow surface. We did find some graupel pooling below White Baldy, and on some slopes where graupel has pooled, it could be a possible weak layer with new snow and wind.
Photos showing
- thin snow coverage in White Pine;
- wind-scoured slopes near tri-chutes;
- spin-drift coming down off of White Baldy.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates