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Observation: Monitors

Observation Date
3/6/2017
Observer Name
mark white
Region
Salt Lake » Park City Ridgeline » Monitors
Location Name or Route
Monitors
Weather
Sky
Broken
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
Southwest
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Cold with moderate to strong SW winds on the ridge line and down in the drainages. a little sun and a trace of new snow.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
15"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Dense Loose
Snow Characteristics Comments

There seemed to be about 15 inches of new light density snow from last night, on the S,SW the snow was a bit inverted or just thick from the continued winds out of the SW, on the N and NE the snow was non wind affected light density cold smoke.

Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Wind Loading
Cracking
Red Flags Comments
There were a few small soft slab releases in both S and W Monitor from natural cornice drops, but the crowns were only 10 or so inches and didn't look like they packed much of a punch. The winds continued to load the N end of the compass thoughout the day, seemingly increasing in the late afternoon.
Comments

Went up to the Monitors hopping that they weren't wind jacked from the winds yesterday and last night, I wasn't very hopeful because of the long duration of wind and the continued wind blowing throughout the day, but was pleasantly surprised that the the main faces of the Monitors were not wind jacked, maybe a little wind loaded but when we ventured onto the main faces we discovered that there was no slab just light density powder sitting on the old snow surface. The new snow came in damp and was well bonded to the old surface on all aspects, the steep S facing terrain with a hard bed surface might be the exception to rule, a hard wind slab on a steep S facing slope might surprise someone tomorrow. The snow did change during the day with the light density from the early afternoon being thickened up by the non stop wind, and showing sighs of slabbing up by the end of the day. Not a whole lot happening in the new snow in the terrain covered, no density inversions or shears in the new snow except were the surface was wind affected.

Photos: cornice drop in West Monitor producing no results, cracking in the wind affected snow on the high ridge line, wind loading in S Monitor, wind loading in Wolverine Cirque, looked like the wind was hammering LCC harder than our location, soft slab in W Monitor from a natural cornice drop, wind filling in the up track as fast as you could break it.

Hazard depends on the wind, it was still blasting out of the SW when we left at 5:00pm, for that matter so does skiing quality.

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