Observation Date
12/22/2015
Observer Name
Hughes, Wilde
Region
Salt Lake » Neffs
Location Name or Route
Neffs Canyon
Weather
Sky
Obscured
Precipitation
Moderate Snowfall
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Light snow when we got to the trailhead. Tapered off on our hike up then began to snow moderately around noon and continued until our exit at 3:30.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
10"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
Pow on top but monsters in the basement...
Red Flags
Red Flags
Heavy Snowfall
Wind Loading
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
They're there. No reason to step into or underneath/adjacent to avalanche terrain. Had so much fun on lower angle terrain not above 30 degrees today.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
New Snow
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
A fist/4 finger slab sits on top of the rain/rime crust. If the storm slab releases/fails on the crust it could step down to weaker layers further down in the snowpack.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
Where I dug was 155 cm deep. There was 40 cm worth of basal factes at the ground. If you trigger any wind slab or new storm slab that then has enough weight (which is very likely) to step down to the ground, you are looking at a very large and unmanageable avalanche. Best to avoid steep slopes on all aspects for the next few days.
Snow Profile
Aspect
Northeast
Elevation
9,200'
Slope Angle
25°
Comments
I found the rain/rime crust all over neffs . It was found 50 cm underneath the new snow at 105 cm. Looked to be 1-2 mm in thickness with facets forming above and below the crust. The cohesive slab (1 Finger) to trigger the larger avalanche is sitting just underneath the rain/rime crust and directly on top of the basal facets. **Once the new snow avalanche is triggered it has a VERY HIGH chance to step to the ground creating a much larger avalanche.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
High
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
High
Coordinates
