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Observation: Brighton Perimeter

Observation Date
4/20/2013
Observer Name
Paradis / Brackelsberg / Caplis
Region
Salt Lake
Location Name or Route
Brighton Periphery / Snake Creek
Weather
Sky
Obscured
Precipitation
Moderate Snowfall
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Snow most of the day. Some partial sun breaks later in the day quickly caused the snow to become damp and produced some roller balls.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
5"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments

Several inches of new snow went a long way to cover old crusts. As noted above even small, partial sun breaks quickly affected the snow, causing it to become damp and heavy. This was particular true on south and east aspects in Snake Creek. North facing was still dry (but sensitive) when we exited around noon.

Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Cracking
Red Flags Comments
We ascended the ridge above Dog Lake to Pioneer Peak and noted several small pockets that cracked between switchbacks. While we generally stuck to low angle slopes on our descent into Snake Creek, we noticed some cracking extending as far as 30 feet from tracks.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Problem #1 Comments

While generally not very deep and very soft, the wind slabs that we encountered could present a problem in the right terrain. In steeper terrain above Dog Lake, we noted several soft slides that eventually piled up relatively deep. These were only about 4-6" deep, however. It sounds like from other observations, Little Cottonwood ended up with a bit more snow.