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Observation: Tushers

Observation Date
1/1/2019
Observer Name
Bombard & Pioli
Region
Southwest » Tushers
Location Name or Route
Tushar Mountains (so-central UT)
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Poor Snowpack Structure
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
"Persistent weak layer" may not be the best description of the snowpack on sun-exposed western and southerly aspects, where the snow is rotten to the very core. What we're dealing with here is poor snowpack structure.
An inch-thick base of hardpack underlies about 12 inches of pure flakey facets, capped by an icy frosting and four to six inches of brilliant albeit thin powder from Sunday night's storm.
Could this could be a problem that stabilizes a bit with the forecasted period of warming and high pressure? Maybe, a bit, but this rotten snow would seem to be, OK, I'll admit it, a persistent weak layer to be be cautious of for some time.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
High winds at upper elevations put us on the lookout for wind drifted snow. We were on a multi-day excursion in the backcountry with no access telecommunications access, so we were intrigued to witness the winds and weather arrive on Wednesday out of the northeast, and we raised flagged wind drifted snow on western and southerly aspects as a possible concern, basically rounding the compass rose.
Comments
A classic case of our eyes biting off more than our legs could chew. We set out on a mid-morning tour in the Tushar Mountains with our sights set on a thousand-foot climb up a northeasterly ridgeline intending to descend the northwest slopes, which all grade out less than 30-degrees. Our goal was to play it safe and explore unknown terrain, maybe name a line or two if we were so lucky.
We dug a pit mid-slope on a western aspect at 8800 feet. What we found there reinforced what we'd already come to find out: the snow was crappy. Spotty coverage. Poor structure.
After an hour of uphill travel, weaving back and forth through the woods in search of an unobstructed path over spotty coverage, we realized it would take another two to three hours of wayward route finding to reach our destination. And even if we did make it, our intended descent would likely be too densely forested to make for good skiing.
Descending on rolling southerly terrain, we regrouped at the truck and lit out for higher, more exposed elevations, where the north-facing slopes offered decent low-angle skiing, especially in the shadiest snow.
The persistent weak layer doesn't seem to be an issue on northern aspects, and our low-risk approach to the backcountry was always going to negate the potential for triggering a wind slab. Given our intended objective, our Personal Danger Barometers were set at "normal caution," which served us just fine.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Low