Observation Date
3/31/2016
Observer Name
Evelyn
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Red Pine » Pink Pine
Location Name or Route
Pink Pine
Weather
Sky
Obscured
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Speed
Calm
Weather Comments
Very pacific northwestesque - 33 degrees at trailhead, with light snow and fog. Spitting rain on return. Occassional thinning of clouds and brief glimpses of sun, but mostly overcast and foggy.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
2"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments

About 2 new inches on top of the multi-day storm total - maybe 8" to a foot of snow at trailhead, with about 18" settled snow above 9,000'. Overall storm snow is very dense and thick, trenching turns were fun on untracked slopes.

Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wet Snow
Problem #1 Comments

Could just push small dry/damp sluffs on steep slopes today. I think by the end of tomorrow it will be easy to trigger wet loose sluffs on all aspects and elevations but high north, and naturals will be possible on steeper sunny slopes.

Comments

Clouds at all different levels today, so it took good communication and planning to keep your partner in sight, or know where they were heading once they disappeared into the fog.

Slight warming in temperatures tipped the precipitation over the edge into liquid by early afternoon.

I expect the avalanche danger to rapidly jump to Moderate tomorrow, and then probably Considerable - seems like the relatively cold snow will be very sensitive to sun and heating, and ready to move; and I would expect naturals tomorrow. Slides may run far, entraining snow, due to the hard icy crusts beneath on most aspects and elevations. Avalanche conditions could change fast tomorrow, over short periods of time like minutes, not just hours. Avoiding travel below gullies and in avalanche runouts zones will be important, as well as small low/mid elevation terrain traps like creek bottoms.

Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable