Observation: Days Fork

Observation Date
1/26/2021
Observer Name
Greg Gagne
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Days Fork
Location Name or Route
Days Fork
Weather
Sky
Broken
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
South
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Winds were a bit gusty early morning, but noticeably dropped off by late morning. Periods of S-1 snowfall.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
2"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
Most of the snow surface is soft powder, capped off with ~5 cms of low-density stellars. But I did find a few shallow pockets of wind-drifted snow along Main Days ridgeline, as well as at the ridgetop above Days Draw. Some solar aspects did get crusted on Monday.
Storm snow from this weekend has settled to 30-40 cms in Days Fork, with ~10 cm deep settlement cones around trees.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Cracking
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Got a loud collapse and crack while approaching a steeper slope in Main Days.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Problem #1 Comments
A few collapses and some cracking today.
Comments
First time in Days Fork this season and wanted to get an idea of the snow depths and overall snowpack in this zone. HS ranges from 90-150 cms. Dug several quick pits, and all results were ECTN with no propagation. The storm snow from this past weekend is just not behaving like a slab and is F soft. In all my pits since Saturday 1/23, the layer of concern is the interface of the old snow surface with a preserved layer of near-surface facets down 30-45 cms. This layer is on west through southeast. (On a southeast aspect at 9600' was finding a layer of facets atop a melt-freeze crust down 30 cms).
Forecasted strong winds and denser snow over the next few days will stress buried PWLs.
One loud collapse and crack in Main Days where the cracking highlights the propagation and how the collapse failed in the layer of facets at the old snow interface down 40 cms.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable