Observation Date
1/6/2014
Observer Name
Evelyn
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Wolverine
Location Name or Route
Catherines, Wolverine, out Grizzly
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Warm day after a cold start. Winds were light to nonexistent.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Wind Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments

Actually seemed to be up to 6" of settled snow from last Friday/Saturday in a few wind sheltered places. Open bowls had the same variable conditions, with lots of wind damage. A few good turns here and there on isolated wind sheltered, shady slopes, if you could avoid all the old age hardened tracks. Tonight's Cottonwood forecast of 8 to 14 inches of snow over 4 days sounds like a major storm for the winter of 2013-14....

Red Flags
Red Flags
Poor Snowpack Structure
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
New Snow
Problem #1 Comments

Still the same buried facets, ski pole basket to the ground. While the wind drifts themselves didn't seem sensitive, (no cracking at all), I still felt it was worth being a bit more conservative with the wind drifted slopes, due to the additional load over the weak facets, and the possibility the denser drift could act more as a "slab". But out of wind drifted terrain, the pack continues to weaken from top to bottom.

Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate