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Observation: Gold Hill

Observation Date
2/23/2018
Observer Name
Ted Scroggin
Region
Uintas » Bear River Ranger District » Gold Hill
Location Name or Route
Gold Hill
Weather
Sky
Obscured
Precipitation
Moderate Snowfall
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Still cold, but less cold than previous mornings at the trail head. A trace to an inch at the trail head and more like 2-3" around Gold Hill.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
3"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Dense Loose
Snow Characteristics Comments
Nice settled powder snow conditions with another couple inches this morning and light to moderate snow throughout the day. The conditions are the best they have been all season, still a few hazards, but great riding and turning.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Little in the way of red flags today, some minor wind drifting of the new light density snow and generally a mostly stable snow pack where it is deep.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
The Gold Hill area where I have visited, generally has a nice deep and mostly stable snow pack. The buried weak faceted snow has been mostly un-reactive in my snow pit tests.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
New Snow
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
The instabilities have been within the more recent storm snow, but they seem to settle out fairly quickly.
Comments
Not a great picture, but was trying to show the lack of wind today along the Gold Hill ridge line and only minor wind drifting.
Where the snow pack is deep, the instabilities are mostly in the upper layers from recent storm snow.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate