Observation Date
11/18/2012
Observer Name
Hardesty
Region
Salt Lake
Location Name or Route
10,420 and environs
Weather
Sky
Overcast
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
Southwest
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
3" new of heavily rimed snow. Made for good supportable riding.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
3"
New Snow Density
High
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
8-12" storm snow with rain/snow line at 8-8500'. Guardsman gate up the west 10420' ridgeline is a good bet with southwesterly flow - you often see the highest snow totals and some wind -effect. Total depths there are 2-3'.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
No significant collapsing or cracking noted. No avalanches noted.
Targeted inquiry. Two questions for today - 1-what might be the lowest elevation boundary of reactive old October snow. 2- how reactive is the surface hoar and near surface facets formed during last week?
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
New Snow
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
Dug holes along the ridge. - found reactive old snow facets on straight north as low as 9600'. Full propagation scores - ECTP 17,17,21 Q1 along different depths within the basal facets now 2' down...some just below the temperature crust, some maybe 8 cm below that. No matter.
No results on due east along the 10420 ridge.
Note below - slowly decreasing danger.
Comments
3mm surface hoar could be teased out of the snow above the original rain/snow line, but did not show up with any, shall we say, formalized tests. I expect these to blend in to the storm snow due to loading and substrate.
