Observation Date
12/31/2013
Observer Name
Ted Scroggin
Region
Uintas » Bear River Ranger District » Gold Hill
Location Name or Route
Gold Hill Basin
Weather
Sky
Broken
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Broken sky with some sunshine until early afternoon when light snow started around 13:00. West winds were light to moderate along the ridgelines.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Faceted Loose
Wind Crust
Rain-Rime Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
Weak surface snow and some mixed in wind and rime crusts were found in my travels today. The riding and turning conditions are quite variable, I was finding limited supportable snow with many areas punchy and basically riding on the ground. Some riders have been getting into steeper terrain, but many big slopes have been untouched.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Not much in the red flag department other than the continued weak snow pack, some very isolated collapsing and some minor wind loading this afternoon.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
New Snow
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
I was getting very mixed results with snowpit tests, a few compression tests were failing in the 13-15 taps from the elbow with some energy still in the slab, but Extended Column Tests had no results and the column would just mash down. I think given the right snow pack set-up and terrain, a person could still trigger an avalanche, but it is a "pockety" hazard.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
Some minor wind slabs were forming today, mainly on east facing slopes. I was not finding these to be much of an issue yet, but could be more troublesome with continued winds and an approaching storm.
Comments
It felt like the hazard has dropped to the moderate level, but with the right combination of steep, thin and rocky terrain or a heavly wind loaded slope, it is still possible to trigger an avalanche.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
