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Observation: Dry Fork

Observation Date
3/22/2014
Observer Name
Joey Dempster
Region
Provo » Rock Canyon » Dry Fork
Location Name or Route
Provo Peak from Rock Canyon Trailhead.
Weather
Sky
Clear
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
2-3 inches of snow early, then clear and sunny the rest of the day, but cool. Cold up high. Negligible heating of snow surfaces above 9000, some dampness below that. The new snow was very light.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
3"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Wind Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
The new snow was poorly bonded to the old snow surface. In areas where it was windloaded and more cohesive, I was able to get it to crack and slide very easily. One member of my party triggered a small shallow avalanche in such snow around 9000 feet on a very steep north facing slope. These avalanches are quite manageable since they are so shallow. This avalanche ran for a hundred feet or so and entrained some new snow, but did not trigger anything deeper, and never posed a real threat. Other than that, I did not observe any instabilities in the snowpack. No red flags. Unrelated to current conditions, but interesting: the Dry Fork slide path that runs off the S end of Cascade ran HUGE in February and left debris at least 5 times deeper on the Squaw Peak-Camelback Pass road than I have ever seen. It is 25-30 feet deep on the road, and overran the road by 100+ yards. A truly impressive slide.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wet Snow
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
It still hasn't gotten very warm since the last storm, so there is some snow hanging around that will run when it finally gets warm up high. However, it's not a lot of snow. Something to remain aware of, but not a reason to stay out of the higher peaks.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Low