Donate to the 2024 Spring Campaign to help rebuild the UAC website.

Observation: North Ogden Divide

Observation Date
12/5/2018
Observer Name
Derek DeBruin
Region
Ogden » North Ogden Canyon » North Ogden Divide
Location Name or Route
North Ogden Divide
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Snow Profile
Aspect
Northwest
Elevation
7,400'
Comments
Went for a quick lap on the North Ogden Divide today. It was 10F at the trailhead at 0600 this morning, a bit cooler than some of the other weather stations in the area indicated, which seems typically for the divide. It was also fairly blustery at the trailhead and above treeline, with winds light to moderate, and the occasional stronger gust. There was S- snowfall at my house in the valley and S1-2 snowfall consistently during the two hours I was out; at 11:00am the mountains are still in cloud from mid-elevations and upward. Snow surface was generally soft and medium density with about 1 to 2cm of new stellars on top. Above treeline (around 7200ft), wind effects were present as normal. Though it's mostly a mid-elevation zone, Lewis Peak tends to act like Ben Lomond and Mount Ogden when it comes to wind effects. It was difficult to determine a prevailing direction. Wind seemed SE this morning, but there was evidence of wind from pretty much all points of the compass with scouring on the ridge proper and drifting on either side. No significant hard slab formation; surface wind-affected snow was generally 4F hardness. Snow depth varied from 15cm at scoured spots on the ridge to 120cm in drifts; general coverage above 6800ft seemed to be in the 60 to 100cm range. This pit was at the start of the typical descent in the most sheltered place I could find. Right side up snow from 30cm and upward (HS 80cm), 4F below this. Interestingly, there was a discontinuous ice lens of 1 to 2cm thickness at about 30cm depth (red lines on photo). This had small (<=1mm) rounding facets on either side. Vegetation frequently intruded into this layer so I'm not terribly concerned about the potential bed surface as it seemed discontinuous. Since this was dry ground prior to Thanksgiving, I feel this is likely old rain crust, based on the recent precipitation events and how warm some of the waves came in. Skiing was nice up high, but I was wishing for more coverage below 6800ft as things got a bit 'schwacky.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates