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Observation: Skyline

Observation Date
11/23/2012
Observer Name
Darce Trotter/ Steve Cote
Region
Skyline
Location Name or Route
Wedding Ring Ridge
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
another balmy day, no real wind, overnight lows have been barely below freezing, although Thanksgiving did bring overnight temps in the mid-twenties and highs below freezing. Temps today were well over 40, winds light from the SW, atypical for summit ridgeline.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
6"
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Faceted Loose
Wind Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
despite 0.8 reported at Cottonwood/Mammoth, was not snow until you neared 9000', rain below that did some major melting with sad looking conditions around Wasatch Academy Hut and even Lower Electric Lake Ridge. We quickly decided to head up into upper terrain in hopes of finding enough snow to talk about, let alone put a turn or two in. Our guess was right, N facing sheltered terrain off the end of the Ridge (not to mention just off the road). The shallow pack still is lumpy, and most significant lumps can be counted on to be rocks, and are to be avoided. None the less, last weeks snow had strengthened in the warm weather and kept you off the ground, while the upper 6" was faceting and fun to crank turns in, again, in selected areas. Steve did report a single collapse, very localized on a steeper part of our uptrack, 2nd time up.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
we now have a great bed surface will faceting snow on top of it that if weather remains warm, could be the next factor. On more exposed terrain, east facing, the usual suspect of wind loading has built hard slab that may be up to 3+ feet thick tapering to zero at the transition to flatter terrain. The hard slab is sitting on a 5"graupel layer, but repeated pounding could not get hard slab bridging to fail. Shallow facets at the ground do exist, but wonder what it would take to activate them, bridging is occurring and for the time being is very strong.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
things are stable for now, cornices welded in place, finding that area shallow enough to collapse difficult due to large rocks enough warning to keep anyone out. Other sheltered terrain is faceting on top, but warm temps are going to slow that process
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
New Snow
Trend
Same
Problem #2 Comments
In sheltered terrain snow could be faceting slowly and setting on top of settled stronger snow that is a great bed surface. The pack held together firmly on ECT test, ECT 16 Q1 on 2 or so inches offacets at the ground .
Snow Profile
Aspect
North
Elevation
10,000'
Slope Angle
37°
Comments
This is a look at the average sheltered terrain near 10,000'
Video
We also took a look at the summit ridge in an area we felt OK about getting out on
graupel layer beneath hard slab/cornices
hard slab tapers to zero at bottom of slope
Coordinates