Observation Date
5/11/2014
Observer Name
Rusty Milholland
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Catherine's Pass
Location Name or Route
Catherines Pass
Weather
Sky
Obscured
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Widespread strong winds in the morning, calming to moderate on ridge lines by mid day.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
6"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Melt-Freeze Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
Widespread wind effected snow provided smooth meadow skipping where the snow remained. Mostly supportable crust exposed from snow which fell 5/9-5/10 and warmed before last night's disturbance blew through.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Cracking
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Haven't checked the poor snowpack structure box in a while but even quick hand pits showed surprisingly unconsolidated wet grains under the recent snow and crusts.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
Stayed to the most sheltered terrain we could think of for fear of getting blown over. Drifting and cornices in mid slope features but cracking was relatively limited considering the circumstances.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Wet Snow
Trend
Same
Problem #2 Comments
Our group heard many (5+) significant audible collapses (woomphs) from sub-surface layers. Investigated with several hand pits down into the dirty corn layer from before Friday's storm and performed shovel shear tests and hand shears with no results. Significant crust capping Friday's damp grains and again capping the loose wet corn from mid-week. Couldn't pinpoint where the collapsing was occurring and didn't want to dig a proper pit so we erred on the side of caution and stuck to meadows where the skiing was smooth and fun.
Probably a considerable danger for wind slabs up high with such heavy winds and a smooth bed surface. Observed more of a moderate hazard in areas traveled. Unsure of the source of frequent collapses so we hedged our bets.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
