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Observation: Snowbasin Backcountry

Observation Date
2/27/2013
Observer Name
Bill Hunt
Region
Ogden
Location Name or Route
United States
Weather
Sky
Clear
Weather Comments
Bluebird day, got out in the late afternoon. Stayed cold enough to preserve the snow nicely.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
8"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
Up on Mt Allen, a few inches of fresh covered the thick windslab alternating with hard snow that was there before. Excellent powder in the shaded trees, and still decent powder on west facing aspects with slight sun exposure.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
New Snow
Problem #1 Comments
Mostly stable conditions; did not see any cracking; I was not on the most wind-loaded slopes though. I did 4 cuts at 9500 feet, N facing (top of Banana chute). Nothing moving there, but its not very windloaded. I stayed on shaded W, NW and N slopes. Down in the trees at 8600 feet, in steep trees that roll toward a chute, I cut off a couple sluffs that ran a 100 yards. There was more fresh snow than I expected. Nothing major, but enough to keep me cutting a little more, tree to tree, until the slope angle was lower.
Comments
Photo below: On Mt Allen, thick stubborn windslab formations on top of a hard snow base, overlaid with a few inches of fresh snow.
Below, cornices were sensitive, but did not propagate on the slope below.
A natural sluff off the rocks.