Doing some quick uphill training this morning and went into Hidden Canyon to take a look at the snowpack. This is one of my go-to locations early season as it often harbors faceted snow. Video below is taken at 10,400' on a NW aspect with a 60 cms (2') snowpack. Rather shallow, but am guessing winds from earlier this week fetched some snow from this upper elevation slope, thereby limiting its overall depth. Not very indicative of many slopes in the central Wasatch that are now sporting nearly a meter (3'+) of snow.
I remain intrigued about the layer of buried facets on some upper elevation northerly aspects. In this video there is a strong 1-F slab on top of a shallow 5 cm (2") layer of facets at the ground. Both compression and extended column tests could not produce fractures (CTN and ECTX) and at best I could only pry poor-quality Q3 shears within the storm snow.
However, Zinnia Wilson and Drew Hardesty's observation from the East Bowl slide on Thursday tell us the problem is still present, but very localized, and my pits from today as well as Wednesday morning are confirming this.
Other than the buried facets on upper elevation northerly aspects, I am thinking the overall avalanche hazard is Low right now. The recent storms have settled into a strong 4F to 1F slab and any storm snow weaknesses have settled out. No wide-spread wind drifting, and winds are forecasted to remain well-behaved through Saturday.
The upper elevation north aspects remain the wild card, and I would avoid steep, upper elevation slopes for the time being. This is especially easy right now as most other slopes currently have excellent riding conditions.
If you do choose to venture onto steep, northerly aspects, be sure to do the necessary inspection of the snowpack and dig down looking for buried facets at the ground.
Always good to see the proper signage and beacon checks at resort exits to the backcountry! For those riders looking to terrain outside of the resort, be sure to have the proper gear and training. The following link refers to UAC classes and workshops, and there are several other commercial offerings as well as at our local colleges and universities.
