Observation Date
1/7/2021
Observer Name
McKinley Talty, Joey Manship
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » White Pine
Location Name or Route
White Pine
Comments
Went for a tour up in White Pine today and dug three pits with my partner on mid to upper elevation N facing slopes. In all pits, we observed the PWL at the base of our snowpack with grains ranging from 1-3 mm (see photo below). Test results below:
Pit 1: NW slope @ 9100', HS=110cm. ECTP-29 @ 53cm below the surface on the faceted PWL.
Pit 2: N slope @ 9200', HS=86cm. ECTP-18 @ 46cm below the surface on the faceted PWL. PST 27/100 (End) on same layer.
Pit 3: N slope @ 9250', HS=120cm. ECTN-18 @ 35cm below the surface on a NSF layer. ECTN-23 @ 60cm below the surface on the faceted PWL. PST 30/100 (End) on faceted PWL 56cm below the surface.
While Pit 3 did not show propagation in our ECTs, we did not trust the test results and didn't let it affect our decision making. Nearly identical PST results in pits 2 and 3 show that the persistent weak layer at the base of our snowpack is more than willing to propagate and produce avalanches. We stuck to low angle terrain and found some great turns, this is not the time or season to push for bigger objectives.


Video
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable
Coordinates