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Observation: Park City Ridgeline

Observation Date
12/27/2012
Observer Name
Willis Richardson
Region
Salt Lake
Location Name or Route
United States
Weather
Sky
Overcast
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
The sun peaked out several times during the late morning and early afternoon. As the afternoon progressed, the temperature began to drop, and one got the magnificent school kid snow flakes. Visibility began to deteriorate but did not hinder skiing or hiking, mostly flat light by 2 pm.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
18"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
The snow pack I tested all over the Desolation Lake, Square Top Backside, Powder Park and the Park City ridge line toward Roscoe's was almost 18 inches deep throughout the area. The main concern was a continuation of the weak snow pack. I would be skinning along and my pole would sink down to the grip. You could really see the difference in snow structure when you entered the trees, supportable then you would almost be on the ground pushing through facets. On several occasions, I even was skinning up the ice layer when in wind affected areas. I was skiing very long angle terrain with great conditions. The low angle slopes I skied all had consistent snow. The change can as I skinned near or in the trees. This is normal but the variation was dramatic illustrating our complex snow pack at this time.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
My concern would be to move from the low angle terrain I was skiing to anything steeper than 30 degrees. I don't think you can do a consistent assessment across a slope unless you built a trench across the entire run and did your stability test. The low angle terrain simply had the most consistent conditions. With the variation of snow coverage, I think you are shooting craps on any moderately steep terrain.

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