Observation Date
1/10/2016
Observer Name
Brandon D
Region
Ogden » Ben Lomond » Cutler Ridge
Location Name or Route
Cutler Ridge
Weather
Sky
Broken
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
Southeast
Wind Speed
Calm
Weather Comments
Little to no wind along cutler ridge. Can't speak for the peaks but everything looked really calm. Most of the clouds stayed low into the valley with a few cresting the ridge. It made for beautiful scenery as the sun rose and peaked around the clouds every now and again.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
2"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
Hero snow for sure. Soft snow blanketed everything. 2" was all that fell during the night but there were some nice pockets of 12"+ that had been accumulating for a couple days. Everything seemed to be resting on a melt/freeze crust from our warm weather cycle during the week. Surprisingly though, the snow pack was bonding perfectly. During my CT it took 23 hits to get the new storm snow to give. My ECT gave no propagation. Probing around I'm not sure if I got onto a slope that had been previously wind-loaded, but there were no tall tale signs that it had been. Measuring snow depth at about 8100' on a NE aspect was 220cm or 7 FEET of snow! I couldn't get to the bottom to see the facets but everything above had bonded really well.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Right now the biggest concern is the wind loading. Though the deep slab may still be lurking, large wind events will be the name of the game for awhile. Also, be weary of sluffing. Had a few small sluffs on steeper terrain, but not enough to take me down.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
More wind in the forecast will make the wind slabs more touchy. I stayed in very protected terrain and had no issues. But the higher you go, the more blowing snow, and the more danger.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
It's still out there. Wind loading will only add more weight to an already fragile snowpack. But the danger is definitely decreasing and it seems as though most wind protected slopes have been ascended and descended with no troubles.
Snow Profile
Aspect
Northeast
Elevation
8,100'
Slope Angle
28°
Comments
Overall, the snowpack is shaping up. If you're smart, vigilante, and remember your skills to assessing danger, you can have a blast in the mountains. Even low angle terrain was a blast in the light storm snow. Can't wait to get out there again.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
