Observation Date
1/26/2016
Observer Name
PJM
Region
Salt Lake » Park City Ridgeline
Location Name or Route
PC ridgeline 9990 gate to Home Run..
Weather
Sky
Clear
Weather Comments
Cold early am with warming temps and light ridgetop breeze..
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
Somewhat wind-affected snow surface in upper BearTrap, but still good turning conditions on cold snow both west and North facing. Toured out Home Run along the ridge to get a look at everything after skiing some laps into McDonalds Draw and upper Beartrap. No signs of instability except of pic below of natural in upper Mill D above desolation lake on steep NE facing terrain.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Intact snowpack seems to be healing in steeper North and East facing slopes at that have not slid this year. Some people today were pushing into steeper terrain(sunny day) today on the PC side. I would steer clear of higher elevation steeper North and NE powder slopes with terrain traps and/or
trees to get strained through., particularly if you do not know the snowpack history. Make sure there is lower consequence if you trigger something when skiing the steeper terrain, particularly in repeater zones...
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
I still see the upper snowpack snow moving, especially in repeater areas and in steeper N to E facing upper elevation slopes. A usual, the steep North facing slopes above Desolation Lake as well as Dog Lake continue to show slide activity in repeater-zones.
Comments
Photos below are taken from the Backcountry Gate at 9990 looking due West down Big Cottonwood into the valley. I believe it is a N/E facing slope in Mill D above Desolation. Not sure of the name of this small peak, but it looked to avalanche naturally either yesterday or the day before during the storm or shortly before all the way up the ridgeline. If you look carefully, in the background you see another further away. Difficult to see whether this was Gobblers 2nd round or not in the background...
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable
