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Observation Date
12/4/2012
Observer Name
Bruce Tremper
Region
Salt Lake
Location Name or Route
Silver and Days Fork
Weather
Sky
Obscured
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
Southwest
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Dreary, gloomy, warm, wet, blustery. The rain-snow line varied between about 8,000 and 9,000' for most of the day with light precipitation.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
1"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Snow Characteristics Comments
Just a skiff of new snow today at elevations above about 9,000' with rain below. The snow surface was getting damp at upper elevations and downright soggy below 9,000' with rollerballs. The snow at upper elevations was about 4 inches of dense, creamy snow that dramatically improved the riding conditions from a few days ago. Snow on the north facing slopes was best and other slopes had a buried crust that was tricky at times. The south facing slopes have very little snow where you have to walk many sections. North facing slopes above about 9,000' have about 70 cm of total snow (2 feet).
Red Flags
Red Flags
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Weak faceted snow remains buried about 20 cm down (6 inches) but there just is not enough weight on top to form a slab. In upper elevation wind loaded areas there are localized places where you should avoid wind drifted slopes because the wind slab is enough weight to collapse the faceted snow layer.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
The main avalanche problem is the stiff wind slabs mostly at upper elevation, wind exposed terrain when they overlie the weak layer of faceted snow about 20 cm deep (6 inches). As usual, be very suspicious of any steep slope with recent wind deposits. Most are dense, stiff and stubborn but there have been occasional avalanches triggered by explosives with this setup.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
New Snow
Problem #2 Comments
The persistent weak layer does not have enough weight on it to be a problem in most areas with the exception of wind loaded areas (see problem #1). With expected more snow over the next several days, we may see enough of a slab laid down to make this layer active. Stay tuned...
Snow Profile
Aspect
Northwest
Elevation
10,100'
Slope Angle
34°
Comments
Here's a quick video of the basic snowpack setup and the stability results of a snow profile.
Video
Coordinates