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Observation: Park City Ridgeline

Observation Date
1/8/2021
Observer Name
Brackelsberg
Region
Salt Lake » Park City Ridgeline
Location Name or Route
Park City Ridgeline
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Speed
Calm
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
Overall a pretty ugly snowpack. Lots of collapsing and cracking in the snowpack. Lots of hollow places where you would sink in knee deep. We were not able to find a cohesive slab in the snowpack.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Cracking
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
Significant faceting (weakening) has occurred in the snowpack in the last 9 days. We dug a pit in the same location on 31 December and had similar stability test results, but did not have the faceted layers above and below the crust.
We experienced significant collapsing and cracking. We had several locations where we dropped knee-deep into the weak snow.
Skiing a low angle exit the snowpack was a mix of hollow to being able to feel the buried cust. The snow had the feeling that you could not trust it based on the hollow feeling.
Snow Profile
Aspect
Northeast
Elevation
8,900'
Slope Angle
24°
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable
Coordinates