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Observation: Whitney Basin

Observation Date
3/13/2018
Observer Name
Ted Scroggin
Region
Uintas » Bear River Ranger District » Whitney Basin
Location Name or Route
Whitney Basin
Weather
Sky
Scattered
Wind Speed
Calm
Weather Comments
Warm at the trail head this morning with partly cloudy skies and no wind to speak of even up along the higher terrain.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Melt-Freeze Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
Rough riding this morning with hard frozen tracks, but conditions did soften around mid morning. Still some nice dense settled powder like snow in protected areas away from the sun. No wet activity observed in the higher terrain, but damp punchy snow once back down near the highway.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Cracking
Rapid Warming
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Spent a brief period of time this morning on south facing slopes, with supportable snow off the ridge lines, but quickly changed to wet unsupportable conditions on steeper sections. I was getting small areas of snow underneath skis and sled to crack and collapse from rapid warming and poor snow pack structure.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
A pit dug on a north aspect at 10,000' around mid-slope revealed a very weak and faceted snow pack. The pit location was a little poor due to logs underneath, but still noticed how the faceted sugary snow had all but gobbled up most of the crusts from early this winter.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Normal Caution
Comments
Conditions around the trail head have taken a good hit from the warm weather.
Calm conditions up along the ridge lines with some tired nonreactive wind drifts and cornices.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate