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

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

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