Observation: No Name Bowl

Observation Date
12/3/2019
Observer Name
Champion and Wilkinson
Region
Salt Lake » Park City Ridgeline » No Name Bowl
Location Name or Route
No Name Bowl
Weather
Sky
Few
Wind Direction
Southwest
Wind Speed
Light
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Melt-Freeze Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
Surface hoar forming on Northern aspects.
3-4mm needles found on protected Eastern aspects.
Photo of needles.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Rapid Warming
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Noted solar effect on S slopes.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
While the precipitation from last week may have settled down upper elevation northern aspects still possess that potential for propagation. Directly above the crown of the No Namer Bowl avalanche, we got an ECTP11 and ECTP12 both in facets either on top of the previous decomposing crust or the facets directly beneath it. There is still the lingering instability in the upper elevations of the northern end of the rose.
Snow Profile
Aspect
Northeast
Elevation
9,700'
Slope Angle
35°
Comments
I went to go look at previous avalanche activity from the weekend. No Name Bowl had a large avalanche triggered remotely from the flat ridge. We were able to put our shovels in the snow directly above the crown on a 35 degree NE aspect. We wanted to see how those upper elevation Northern aspects were doing after a few days of zero precipitation and warmer temps. Stability is slowly increasing, but still, be mindful in upper elevation northern slopes that might not have seen much traffic after this weekend.
We also wanted to see if the bed surface was to the ground, or left a deep layer of basal facets. The bed surface was a mixture of the ground, slick icy terrain, but up near the start zone and the crown in some protected areas we were able to find up to 25cm of facets still on the ground.
Photo of snow depth on S. Aspect at 9140'
Photo of the pit above No Name Bowl crown NE aspect 9700'.
Photo of existing 25cm facets at the ground beneath No Name Bowl crown.
Video
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable