Observation: Mill Creek Canyon

Observation Date

12/20/2012

Observer Name

Jason Konigsberg

Region

Salt Lake

Location Name or Route

Mill Creek

Weather

Sky

Clear

Wind Direction

West

Wind Speed

Light

Weather Comments

Wind backing to SW. Snow transport on 10000ft ridges. Rapid warming all day.

Snow Characteristics

Snow Surface Conditions

Powder

Faceted Loose

Snow Characteristics Comments

Low density snow. Near surface faceting beginning.

Red Flags

Recent Avalanches

Collapsing

Poor Snowpack Structure

Red Flags Comments

Recent avalanches- Dutch yesterday. Aspen shaking collapses all day while skinning. Poor structure- rain crust, facet sandwich...not improving.

Avalanche Problem #1

Problem

New Snow

Trend

Same

Problem #1 Comments

Travel from 6500ft to 9000ft, aspects northerly. Stout rain crust at about 50cms down from the surface. Significant faceting underneath (2mm facets). ECTP below the crust. Second rain crust below facets providing excellent, smooth bed surface in stabilty tests. Expected to see sudden planar results with the collapsing but it was more resistant planar. In non wind loaded, lower elevation areas, still only about 2" of SWE on top of the crust.

Comments

Photo below. Obvious rain crust. The hollow space below the crust is where I swept out faceted snow. Rain crust is about 50cms down.

Some wind loading on aspects lee to the west. Light wind but enough to move the low density snow.

Observation: Mill Creek Canyon

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