UDOT PLANNED AVALANCHE CLOSURES!!

Observation: Maybird Gulch

Observation Date
3/27/2018
Observer Name
Bruce Tremper, Susi Hauser, Matt Turley, Pat Lambrose
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Maybird Gulch
Location Name or Route
Maybird
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Direction
North
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Bluebird day and cool but with the cold and unstable air, a few mountains clouds came up around the mountain peaks in the afternoon but dissipated in the late afternoon.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
4"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
It was one of the funnest days of the year because the buried rain crust was very stout and supportable with 3 to 4 inches of fresh snow on top. So the dust on crust carved like corn snow but you also had some light powder boiling over your shins. Corn and powder at the same time. How cool is that? OK it's not real corn but it sure skied like it. Low angled slopes were best. Cold temperatures kept most slopes powder except the ones facing the southerly half of the compass, which became damp in the strong, spring sun.
Red Flags
Red Flags Comments
With the high elevation rain over the weekend, then cold temperatures, it "raised the ground level" so it would, in theory, be hard to trigger deeper avalanches. Very shallow, loose, dry to damp sluffs running on the shallowly buried rain crust was all we saw. There was a report on the forecast this morning of deeper avalanches from the weekend rain near the Pfeifferhorn but none were visible in the main north through northeast facing cirque but my friend Matt skied to the Maybird / Hogum divide and said he could see a deeper release in the northwest couloir off the Pfeifferhorn.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
New Snow
Problem #1 Comments
Very shallow, loose dry and damp sluffs don't pose much of a hazard unless you're in extreme terrain with bad consequences.
Comments
Just a few, very shallow sluffs in steep terrain. They were dry to damp, depending on exposure to the sun.
The deeper avalanche that occurred during the weekend rain was reported near the Pfeifferhorn but it was not in the main, northeast cirque but rather in the northwest couloir, around the corner from this photo.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Low