Observation: Salt Lake

Observation Date
12/1/2013
Observer Name
Greg Gagne
Region
Salt Lake
Location Name or Route
Cottonwood Canyons Overview
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Faceted Loose
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments

Everything but powder.

Red Flags
Red Flags
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Very poor snowpack structure with complicated, spatially-variable distribution.
Comments

Am working on using a figure with annotated rose diagram this season and came up with an overview of our snowpack structure prior to several expected weather events this coming week. Exercise was useful for me to map out distributions of weak layers, as well as where there is no snow. Overview is from my ramblings in the hills this week, both at the resort as well as backcountry, and from several excellent observations with photos from the past few days. Figure is of course not precise as the snowpack varies quite a bit. Overall we have a shallow, faceted snowpack on northerly aspects (with some surface hoar mixed in for good measure), several wind/sun/temperature crusts with some faceting noticed both above and below the crusts.

Forecaster Comments: More great analysis by long time observer Greg Gagne

Today's Observed Danger Rating
None
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
None