Observation Date
3/21/2015
Observer Name
PE2
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » White Pine
Location Name or Route
White Pine
Weather
Weather Comments
Warm, with a cooling breeze.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Melt-Freeze Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
Top 10 inches consisted of the corn and the support. Below, the remaining snowpack was damp and unsupportable. Digging was easy because the snow was easy to cut into blocks. At 12:30 the bottom of the trail was still firm, and at 3:45 the west facing was nice and soft. Anything in the shade above 9700’ was crusty. Usually I slip and slide around the trees, but today I had to stay clear of their shadows. Fun skiing on the trail coming past all the flat spots. The bottom section of the trail softened nicely.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Red Flags Comments
Not where I was at, but across the drainage, there looked to be a fresh avalanche. It looked like point releases from below the cliffs on the east facing slope below Rainbow Peak. 600’ in length, fanning out about 60’. Close proximity to small trees. Ruin your day.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wet Snow
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
Not too sure how to define the slab I saw today, maybe 'wet'. The top of the snowpack has support to it, with corn on the top, and a slab of about 10”. This slab sits on something slippery. With some effort, I was able to get this 10” to shear and pop with some spring (see photo). The slab has some weight. The chunk fell with a thud. I am going with ‘same danger' for the next day or two. This slab could support more weight, but we probably won’t get enough new snow in the upcoming week to add too much weight.
Snow Profile
Aspect
West
Elevation
9,900'
Slope Angle
34°
Comments
Forecaster note: Thanks for posting this. I skied past the bottom of this slide yesterday but I could not see the upper section. Your photo shows it very well. I could not tell how old the slide was but it seemed pretty fresh. Thanks again for posting this.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates
