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Observation: Gold Hill

Observation Date
11/23/2013
Observer Name
Ted Scroggin
Region
Uintas » Bear River Ranger District » Gold Hill
Location Name or Route
Gold Hill Basin
Weather
Sky
Scattered
Wind Speed
Calm
Weather Comments
A cold start to the morning in Evanston, with a low of 9 degrees. Up on the forest things were not quite as cold and had a few hours of sunshine, before clouds moved in. Surprisingly, winds were calm along the ridge line in Gold Hill.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Dense Loose
Wind Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
Some nice settled powder in the protected lower areas and wind worked snow on exposed ridge lines. Conditions are still quite thin and the riding and turning can be punchy and not much of a base to keep a person off the ground.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Cracking
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
I had several notable collapses, mainly where the wind has deposited a stronger slab over the weak snow near the ground.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
New Snow
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
The weak snow that is near the bottom of the snow pack is still reactive with stability tests. My compression tests were failing in the 12-15 range from the elbow indicating moderate stability.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
Collapsing and cracking on northwest facing slopes still indicates the wind slab needs some time to settle out.
Comments
In the lower elevations of Gold Hill there is just enough snow for a machine to sled on if you stay on roads and grassy areas.
With a little elevation gain, the riding was a bit better, but grassy meadows and being easy on the throttle were the ticket.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate