Observation Date
2/12/2014
Observer Name
Jake Hutchinson
Region
Salt Lake » Park City Ridgeline
Location Name or Route
Park City Ridgeline
Weather
Sky
Obscured
Precipitation
Moderate Snowfall
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Strong
Weather Comments
Lots of snow moving around, building large sensitive cornices on Park City Ridge
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Density
Medium
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Heavy Snowfall
Wind Loading
Cracking
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
It's all out there right now, rapid loading of slopes by wind and new snow. Cracking and colapsing on a variety of aspects and elevations. multiple small windslabs triggered with ski cuts and cornice drops. Saw four or five lemons in a variety of snow profiles on multiple slopeswith varying aspect and elevation.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments

See the video below, but the deep facet layers continue to be reactive in stability tests. I dug on this slope before the most recent series of storms about three weeks ago and had no test results, the rapid load has reawakened these sleeping monsters and all steep slopes with this structure are off limits in my mind. With additional load coming over the next few days I expect another widespread natural and human triggered avalanche cycle in the coming days. The numerous avalanches I've looked at in the last three days all seem unmanageable and highly likely to produce injuries or fatalities, the steep slopes deserve a wide berth.

Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Problem #2 Comments

By 1pm the fresh windslabs were already 10-12" deep and reactive to ski cuts and cornice drops. They weren't propagating far but with the current weather forecast I predict these will rapidly increase in size and sensitivity. The big danger here is triggering a possibly manageable wind slab that then steps down into the deeper, scarier layers.

Video
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
High