Observation: The Nipple

Observation Date

4/1/2014

Observer Name

PE2

Region

Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Butler Fork » The Nipple

Location Name or Route

Wilson Chutes to the Nipple

Weather

Sky

Broken

Precipitation

Light Snowfall

Wind Direction

West

Wind Speed

Moderate

Weather Comments

Started at 8:45. The drainages were cool. Activity did not pick up until about 10:30. The wind was light to moderate, with gusts to moderate. Light snow fall from about 10:30-12:30. No significant accumulation. Wind chill was apparent, made my face burn. The temps were fair. I never got too hot, never too cold. It was pretty pleasant, but I think that contributed to some greenhousing. The sun did poke out for a bit.

Snow Characteristics

New Snow Density

Low

Snow Surface Conditions

Powder

Damp

Snow Characteristics Comments

Hard to tell about how much overnight snow fell. There was fresh snow found just about everywhere: creamy drifts along the ridgeline and powder in most places. Defiantly some wind damage in Wilson Chutes, but was covered with the new snow. I am going to go with 6-8” of fresh. A cornice broke along the Wilson ridgeline and caused minor sluffing. I ski cut the first 2 turns at the top of the chute and only caused very minor sluffing. The Nipple was pretty wind blasted. The best snow was on due north, which is the shortest ski distance. I opted to gouge down the crusts/fresh snow. Overall, the snow was well behaved and bonded pretty well. The snow in Butler gully (8600’) back to the car was damp and sticky. My guess is greenhousing. Bad day for Iphone photos.

Red Flags

Wind Loading

Red Flags Comments

Things were well behaved. The chutes are at a good angle to slide, so giving them the extra day to settle out was a good idea.

Avalanche Problem #1

Problem

Persistent Weak Layer

Trend

Increasing Danger

Problem #1 Comments

Any new snow on the already transported snow will heighten the danger. Moderate to Considerable tomorrow in the areas I travelled today. Depends on how much wind and how much snow.

Today's Observed Danger Rating

Moderate

Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating

None

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