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Observation: White Pine

Observation Date
1/15/2017
Observer Name
Evelyn
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » White Pine
Location Name or Route
White Pine lot to upper White Pine
Weather
Sky
Few
Wind Speed
Calm
Weather Comments
Fairly chilly for the first couple of hours of skinning until we got in the sun.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Faceted Loose
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments

Still excellent powder on shady, wind sheltered slopes. Sunny slopes are crusted, and there are definitely variable breakable wind crusts on many open slopes, but avoidable in sheltered places.

Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wet Snow
Problem #1 Comments

Could see wet loose slides from yesterday, across in Tanners. Left by 1 pm, so didn't see any new wet activity.

Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Normal Caution
Problem #2 Comments

Cornices, dry snow sluffs becoming larger with continued clear skies. Isolated slab avalanches still possible in steep terrain.

Snow Profile
Aspect
South
Elevation
10,000'
Slope Angle
35°
Comments

Thought I'd check out an aspect other than northerly. Layered, but very strong snow pack. Photo below is of a large section of snow pack, tipped sideways. The ice crust here was well bonded above and below, and while identifiable, the graupel layer was also unreactive. I was surprised that I had no results with Compression Tests or Extended Column Tests on either layer.

Obvious signs of previous wind, but no real signs I could see of any widespread large avalanche cycle from the past week of storms. I would guess there were numerous storm snow soft slabs and sluffs during peaks in snow intensity, now hidden beneath newer snow or wind blown snow. I was not in a place for cornice building.

Obligatory photo of surface hoar - mostly at mid and lower elevations. Luckily, it's so fragile it's normally destroyed before it gets buried. I did several quick pits on northerly facing slopes at about 7800'. I found a thick ice crust, layered, but 4 to 5" in total thickness, well bonded above and below. It may be different other places, so I'll will keep looking at this.

Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate