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Observation: Catherine's Pass

Observation Date
11/15/2020
Observer Name
Loosle & Gang
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Catherine's Pass
Location Name or Route
Catherine's Pass
Red Flags
Red Flags
Poor Snowpack Structure
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
Leeward aspects had loading occur well off of ridgelines. North facing chutes on sunset had been crossloaded. Loading occurred throughout our tour which ended around noon.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
New Snow
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
We dug a couple pits near the basin. Here, we found a thin layer of graupel roughly 15" down. This probably fell with the front on Nov. 13th. ECTP25 & ECTP9. Probably localized, but if you're starting your line underneath a cliff band (which we saw people do) or somewhere graupel pooling is possible, it would have been worth checking for its presence.
Comments
Lee aspects have significantly more snow (and therefore the best riding conditions) due to loading, but today they also posed the greatest risk. A simple ski cut at the top of the line was not the answer, as loading had occurred well down the slopes. We kept our slopes under 32 degrees.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates