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Observation: Skyline

Observation Date
3/22/2013
Observer Name
Darce Trotter/ Steve Cote
Region
Skyline
Location Name or Route
Electric Lake Bowl
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
clear skies first part of the morning, overcast crept in from the north and light snow showers by 1:00 PM. cold start to morning, < 10 degrees, and temps never got out of middle teens. Despite that, high sun angle in the morning, regardless of cool temps, dampened the new snow on east facing slopes and flats. Winds have done the usual on west facing into northern aspects, and stripped new snow, loading E through SE slopes, but high wind speeds and only 4" new to work with make it pockety and highly variable (nothing new around the plateau). Did not look like a huge storm or snow producer in the area, but wait and see
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
4"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Snow Characteristics Comments

It has been moved around, but in more sheltered areas thin wind skin to soft settled snow on top of seized up pack made for good skiing in the sheltered areas. Drifts over a 1' deep were scattered about, but not widespead, and again, pockety, as you would expect. loading is further off ridges and in odd side pockets up high.

Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Cracking
Red Flags Comments
on summit ridges no new cornice falls were visible, a couple of sluffs in the new snow on steep east facing slopes, but with 4" of new, certainly no widespread activity. The winds had blown from the NW and were building in more westernly direction continuing to move some snow around. a couple of places at the summit the road was drifted in pockets over a foot deep, but 20' away from that, bare pavement.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments

Pockety, visible, and generally easy to manage. Cannot ignore the fact that if you really wanted to find a steep pocket big enough to knock you down and drag you over rocks, cliffs, or into the trees, you could find such an animal, but the clues would be obvious.

Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
New Snow
Problem #2 Comments

we can only hope

Snow Profile
Aspect
North
Elevation
9,600'
Slope Angle
32°
Comments

wind loading on southern slopes at ridge tops would likely be on dirt or rocks from what we saw

6"+ crust in 2 layers on E-> S-> W slopes and flats, but much thinner in N sheltered areas despite last weeks heat wave

a little snow discussion

Video

Visibility went south on summit by 1:00 PM

Coordinates