Observation: Flagstaff Ridge

Observation Date
1/23/2019
Observer Name
Luke
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Flagstaff Ridge
Location Name or Route
Flagstaff/Toledo
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Wind Loading
Cracking
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
No surprise upper LCC was windy this morning, mostly blowing ESE but plenty of gusts in all directions- the ridgeline cornices were sculpted by the last week of winds. By the time we dropped in (circa 10:00) the wind had already worked enough snow around that cracking was pretty easy on anything around 32+ degrees. Little to no propogation yet, but the variability concerned us. Added snow and increasing winds will make tomorrow interesting. I've been surprised at how quickly the snowpack stabilized after the last week but the added snow and wind combined with the high unpredictability makes me wary for the next couple days at least. Seems like a good combo for overconfidence with bad consequences.
Comments
Didn't take many useful pictures, kinda hard to see with the clouds and wind. One of the cracks I generated on the ridge.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable