UDOT PLANNED AVALANCHE CLOSURES!!

Observation: Salt Lake

Observation Date
1/31/2020
Observer Name
mark white
Region
Salt Lake
Location Name or Route
Gobblers Knob
Weather
Sky
Broken
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Overcast in the morning, a little sun midday, lowering clouds and socking in around 4 pm. The NW wind was only blowing up high above 10000ft, down in the drainage it was warm and calm.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Dense Loose
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
The snow on the N end of the compass was settled powder with boot deep penetration, the S facing had some slabbyness off the ridge line due to wind loading from the NW winds, on our second run the S had become damp as well as the lower elevationW facing.
Red Flags
Red Flags Comments
No real red flags noted.
Comments
Travel today was up Porter Fork to Gobblers Knob. We skied the mainline, bobslide and the nose, pretty much the same snow conditions top to bottom, settled non wind affected, boot deep powder. The main reason for this observation it's the thin and poorly structured snow pack in the starting zone of the Bobslide. Most of the spots we probed had a deep right side up snowpack but probing in the starting zone of the Bobslide revealed 3ft of snow with large grain loose facet at the ground interface. Ran into Peter Donner who spends a lot of time in the area, and he said that that slope hade run during the thanksgivings cycle which makes the thin and fragile snow pack make sense. I would be suspect of that line if gets a large load, it was basically the new snow sitting on a denser layer, resting on a somewhat stout wind slab with weak faceted snow below that extending to the ground. Haven't seen weak snow like that in a while except in No Name which also avalanched during the thanksgiving cycle. Good to run into Bruce Tremper, Susie and Paul Diegel as well.
photos: rimed dead trees on the ridge and the cloud deck dropping below 10100ft
Tomorrow might get interesting on the sun exposed slopes, they haven't seen full sun and above average temperatures in a while.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate