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Observation: Little Cottonwood Canyon

Observation Date
1/11/2018
Observer Name
Tyler Falk / AAI Level 1
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon
Location Name or Route
Twin Lakes Pass
Weather
Sky
Overcast
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Above freezing this morning at the park and ride around 7 am. Freezing at Maybird. Twenty four degrees at Alta this morning at 730 with S1 snowfall. Winds were light off ridgelines. Town of Alta reached a high of 30 this afternoon.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
3"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Dense Loose
Faceted Loose
Snow Characteristics Comments

Around 7cm of new snow within the last 24 hours. Density changes within storm snow. Height of snow up to 140cm on N/NW aspects in upper LCC.

Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Wind loading slowed down as the day started. Last night there was plenty of avilable snow for transoprt and enough speed to move it. Poor sturcture in many places.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments

Would make this the number one problem for tomorrow as well. Seams like bulls eye avalanche data is centered around N/NE above 9500.

Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Same
Problem #2 Comments

These should start to settle out in the next day or so but still worth mentioning. Possibility of them stepping down into a persistent slab problem. On a variety of aspects above 10k.

Test slopes showed the old/new snow interface and a density change within the storm snow on steeper slopes. Saw a few artillery controlled slides near the highway to heaven traverse off twin lakes pass. (Pic.1) Another few small pockets on the way up grizz. Bed surface was a thin crust with handfulls of weak snow falling out underneath. (Pic. 3) ECT results were showing broken fractures 30cm and 68 cm down without propagation. Like in Hardesty, Wilson, Torrey & Diegel 's observation tests did not correlate with avalanche conditions in a representative location. Depth hoar is on 3mm gird in picture 2.

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