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Observation: Gobblers

Observation Date
1/31/2018
Observer Name
Hardesty, Wilson, Pollick
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Mill Creek Canyon » Mill A » Butler Fork » Gobblers
Location Name or Route
Bowman to Gobbler's to Alexander Basin
Weather
Sky
Broken
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Mostly dry cold front moving through with moderate west northwest winds, cooling temps and just a couple snowflakes in the air in the predawn hours.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Melt-Freeze Crust
Rain-Rime Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments

Southerlies are rattly melt-freeze crusts while protected northerlies hold good skiing conditions with hardly noticeable rime crust. Some wind damage in open terrain. Damp on northerlies on low angle exit to MCC.

Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Triggered one and possibly (remote?) two persistent slab avalanches, reported elsewhere in the obs. Almost like cheating though ~ if one were to more readily trigger a P~slab avalanche, it would be in this very steep, shallow, rotten and rocky terrain.
Comments

Dawn patrol in hopes of catching the blood red super blue moon lunar eclipse. Cloud cover didn't cooperate until 730 or so and only caught the late partial eclipse. Photo below. Other photos are of the two avalanches (one) (two) we likely triggered in upper Alexander Basin, cornice development along Gobbler's north ridge...and the old men on the ridgeline.

Low to mid elevation sheltered terrain a mess of facets and - mid-pack Jan 8 crust with overall depths of 50-70+cm. Exceedingly poor structure.

P-Slab issues hardly asleep and remain the primary concern for backcountry travel. Secondary issues include pockets of wind slab and wet loose on southerlies and perhaps low elevation northerlies.

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