Observation: Reynolds Pk

Observation Date
1/22/2019
Observer Name
evelyn
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Reynolds Pk
Location Name or Route
Reynolds Peak
Weather
Sky
Few
Wind Speed
Calm
Weather Comments
Clear early, with various clouds later - some low elevation clouds the drainage bottoms, such as Broads Fork, some high to mid level thin clouds. Warm in the sun, but you could feel the cold temperatures when their were any clouds combined with even a slight breeze. Calmest wind I've felt on Reynolds all season.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
Still deep powder, and trail breakers deserve thanks. Just a bit of thin, cracky wind slab up high on the ridge, and the sun did manage to crust some southeast and southerlies. But widespread, untracked powder.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Wind Loading
Red Flags Comments
Recent large avalanches in the high alpine have my attention. Heavy wind loading and snow from the last storm at the upper elevations makes that the zone with the greatest chance of triggering a slide. Except for ridge line wind drifting, mid and low elevations seem to be stabilizing.
Comments
Lots of quick hand pits between 7,400' and about 8,000' showed a cold snow pack, with no wet snow issues. The rain crust was well bonded to snow below, snow above sheared a few inches above the crust. A new snow instability that should strengthen soon. There is the usual surface weakening to keep track of - surface hoar, maybe some radiation recrystallization on a few south east facing slopes. Main issue for low elevations could be a few dry loose sluffs, with wet loose sluffs later this week.
Mid elevation storm snow seems to be settling out and strengthening. A deepening snowpack is a strengthening snowpack - good news.
Photos below:
Settlement cones
Cornices are getting large and hard in places. Stay well back.
Looking over at Gobblers and Wilson. Neither the photo nor my eyes were good enough pick out any avalanches. I'm sure they're there, just covered with snow.
Avalanche danger below is for mid elevations, terrain I traveled in. Low elevations seem to be heading toward low danger. Upper elevations Considerable plus danger.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates