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Observation Date
12/19/2018
Observer Name
Hardesty, Bare, Grewe
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Grizzly Gulch » Patsy Marly
Location Name or Route
Grizzly Gulch-Patsy Marley
Weather
Sky
Scattered
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Cold with sustained moderate west-northwest winds and an inch or two of graupel. I'm still cold as I type this.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
Two inches of graupel actually softened the edges of some of the old ruts and tracks and made for creamy skiing with smooth underlying surfaces.
Red Flags
Red Flags Comments
None
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
You'll see in the video. Plenty of wind but just not much snow to blow around. I looked in the usual zones lee of the Patsy ridge and lee of the Twin Lakes-Patsy ridge and could find only very minor cracking in the snow.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
This layer has become dormant over the recent days. The last avalanche in the bc was on the 8th (Main Porter) and for explosives on the 14th in upper LCC. Full propagation is inconsistent and cracking/collapsing noted in isolated terrain on Sunday. Plenty of tracks in suspect terrain without incident.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Low