Observation Date
2/9/2016
Observer Name
Ted Scroggin
Region
Uintas » Millcreek
Location Name or Route
Mill Creek
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Direction
Northeast
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Clear skies, a good refreeze and warm afternoon temperatures. Surprisingly light northeast to almost calm winds even along the high ridgelines in the Mill Creek drainage today.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Faceted Loose
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
Still able to find some decent soft settled dense snow on the north aspects and some surface faceting taking place. Not seeing much in the way of wet activity, as my travels today were around the 10,000' elevation. The Uintas typically don't follow the same wet activity as the Wasatch.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Thought a visit to the east side of the area where the snow pack is typically shallow might be a good opportunity to see what's been going on after a busy weekend. The faceted sugary snow near the ground is still weak, but with a little more than 70" of snow on the ground it's likely getting harder to trigger a deep avalanche. I poked around on some of the terrain that avalanched during December and I still did not feel good about it. I was finding just enough of a slab over some weak faceted snow to feel uncomfortable. The Mill Creek area has a lot of thin rocky terrain where weak faceted sugary snow develops throughout the winter.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
I did not really find much in the way of wind related problems, but the Uintas are a big place and the wind always seems to blow somewhere out here.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #2 Comments
The deep slab problem has been fairly quiet recently, but the Mill Creek area would be a likely spot to find a weak shallow spot on a slope that has avalanched earlier this winter. The steeper terrain still has that thin rocky look to it.
Comments
The northeast winds that have been fairly constant in the area recently, resulted in some natural wind slab activity, but not sure the timing when these occurred?
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
