Observation Date
12/5/2018
Observer Name
B
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Brighton Perimeter » Snake Creek Pass
Location Name or Route
Snake Creek
Weather
Sky
Overcast
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Moderate WNW winds in the upper elevation exposed terrain. Moderate wind blown and or transport observed only near the ridges. Overcast skies the entire day with S-1 intermittent snowfall rates. Trace accumulated during the day. Temperatures rose during the evening the and early morning hours and hit mid to lower 30's at 8000.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
The clear skies from Tuesday warmed up the due south aspects enough to create a 2 cm m/f crust, and this was only found on slopes with angles greater than 25 degrees. Wind damage was observed near the ridge lines on multiple aspects with dense slabs forming. These slabs appeared to mostly unreactive. Excellent riding continues to be easily found in powder that allows you to carve in at least 20 cm deep.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Wind Loading
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Hasty pit at 9900 feet, east aspects with slope angle 28 degrees indicated no buried facets. Isolated collapsing still occurring, yet less widespread. Reports of avalanches in past 48 hours appears to indicate the poor snowpack structure is still an issue. See above for wind loading details.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
It's just not going to go away, but it does continue to get minimally bridged by the slab that rests above it. Observations noted that many steep lines are being ridden by folks with higher risk tolerances than me.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Same
Problem #2 Comments
Mid morning and mid day winds appeared to have died down a bit since 1600. Caution may still be an option in the upper elevation loaded areas, and these can be found on SE, E and S aspects.
High consequence Moderate above 9500 on SE, E, NE, N, NW, and W where the snowpack structure indicates there are buried persistent weak layers, and this may be exacerbated in areas where the terrain allows for serious consequesces from even small slides.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
