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Observation: Porter Fork

Observation Date
3/17/2013
Observer Name
jake
Region
Salt Lake
Location Name or Route
Porter Fork
Weather
Sky
Overcast
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Wind was blustery, but more sustained at the ridgetops, chillier than I had expected. Pretty humid out and had some riming up at the ridge over the light dusting of new snow.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
1"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments

Anywhere from 1/2 inch to 2 inches of new snow as we climbed. The last 100 feet of vertical was rimed over and crusty. Otherwise, the North facing trees were surprisingly soft, or lacking a hard crust. As we descended, we found fun dust on crust. For the most part, the crust was supportable and edgable. More fun skiing than I had expected to find, particularly in the steeper, shaded trees. The Northerly snow definitely consolidated with the warming and there was plenty of debris, but the snowpack remained colder than I had expected.

Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Wind Loading
Rapid Warming
Red Flags Comments
No immediate red flags, but as we started the day, we were curious how the warming had impacted both the stability and the quality of skiing. There was enough wind to transport snow, but we didn't find much drifting as there was just a dusting.
Comments

We did dig a pit, but I unfortunately did not record it. We found two noticeable layers at 55 and 100 cm down from the surface. Both had some old faceting around it. Overall, the pack was stable and we got an ECTX and had trouble getting a shovel shear to pull anything out. The snowpack was consolidated with lots of rounding but still on the colder side. Not the best ob, but I figured not that many would get submitted and the info might still be of value.