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Observation: Meadows

Observation Date
1/5/2014
Observer Name
tom diegel
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Silver Fork » Meadows
Location Name or Route
meadow chutes
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
low ambient temp but nice in the sun. Not warm enough to affect the s. facing snow.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
4"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
the new snow didn't seem to bond very well to the old, but there was no slab formed and it was only a few inches, so it didn't seem to matter much.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
well-advertised loose sugary stuff to the ground.
Snow Profile
Aspect
Northeast
Elevation
9,000'
Slope Angle
29°
Comments
skied a few runs and broke a teeny bit of trail and had no whoomphing. the one pit I dug about 2/3 the way up the "normal" skinner showed a skim crust (maybe sun; a bit east facing) under the 4" or so of new. Below that it was fairly consistent sugary stuff to the ground, about 3' down. We kept all our lines as conservative as possible in the meadows - which is pretty easy to do, and the snow was fast enough that it was still "fun" - but it seemed to me that the lack of slab up there meant that we coulda gone a little steeper. Much steeper? no need to try or even speculate, really. Just appreciate that we got sumthin'....... Even tho the s. faces got hammered by the recent high pressure, I was surprised to see no one in USA bowl; I think that would have been ok with the new snow and the cold temps. however, the s. facing snowpack has dwindled to near-zero except at the highest elevations.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate