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Observation: Snake Creek

Observation Date
1/31/2020
Observer Name
Porter
Region
Provo » Snake Creek
Location Name or Route
Big Flats, Snake Creek
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Cracking
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Problem #1 Comments
Found small wind slabs on East facing aspects, mid and upper elevation. Tracks from yesterday were filled in from the wind, I saw occasional gusts moving snow on ridgelines from S and W. Test slopes showed cracking and wind slabs about 6" deep in spots, probably deeper close to the ridgelines.
Snow Profile
Aspect
South
Elevation
8,600'
Comments
I went looking for the Near Crust Facets that had previously been failing on S aspects, I found rounding facets below the crust 90cm from the ground. These were not very reactive in tests, and were not propagating, and the facets are .5mm and rounding. Because of the crust, when I pulled my tests off of the failures, they were a Q1 shear quality. Generally a strong right side up snowpack on the southerly slopes.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Low