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Observation: Dory Canyon

Observation Date
3/8/2019
Observer Name
Trenbeath, Garcia, Staples
Region
Moab » Dory Canyon
Location Name or Route
Corkscrew Glades
Weather
Sky
Obscured
Wind Speed
Strong
Weather Comments
Strong winds. Cloudy skies. Short period of intense snowfall which was mainly graupel. Snowfall while we were out was maybe 2-3 inches.
Comments
There was a crust up to nearly 10,000 feet but we were unclear if it was a rain crust or a rime crust. At lower elevations it was likely a rain crust. Up high, it seemed like a rime crust because it had a interesting distribution that was not elevation dependent.
Photo below of the rain crust at 9800 feet.
The main issue was a thin layer of facets we found about 10 inches or so deep near 10k feet on a NW aspect. It consistently propagated a crack in an ECT at 4, 12, and 13 taps - see video.
Then when we climbed back up, we got a huge collapse on this layer. It was loud and we felt the snowpack drop.
This layer is unstable and can produce an avalanche. The big question is where does it exist. Fortunately it's less than a foot deep. It takes only a few minutes to dig that deep and do an ECT.
It was easy to spot as a stripe in a the snowpit wall.
Video
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable
Coordinates