Observation Date
2/21/2021
Observer Name
Paradis
Region
Salt Lake » Parleys Canyon » Lambs Canyon
Location Name or Route
Lambs Canyon
Weather
Sky
Clear
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Surprising cool. It seemed a little spring like - strong sun one minute, then cold, windy and snowy the next. Wind was moderate and moving snow around. Old tracks from say 2 days before were being covered up even with pretty limited new snow.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
6"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
Snow was generally pretty good. Light snow from the past couple days helped to keep things soft and cover even old zipper crusts on a east slope I noticed a few days ago. Snow in general was a bit more dense than prior days due to settlement and relatively warm temperatures at this elevation.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Red flags are not that obvious until you dig or push your pole through the snow into the facets.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
Faceted snow is widespread even down to 7600 feet. In many places it seems like the shrubbery exceeds the depth of the facets and may be keeping things in place. But that can vary depending on location and may be a bit of a theory.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
In open areas there was a bit of wind transport. It didn't seem all that problematic, particularly in the treed terrain we were skiing.
Snow Profile
Aspect
Northeast
Elevation
7,600'
Slope Angle
20°
Comments
This pit was dug in a location that a) was receiving wind transport and b) didn't have much undergrowth. I was a bit surprised by the strength of the slab here. This is essentially a mini-version (1F over facets) of the problematic snow structure along the PC ridgeline and Mill Creek area. The lack of undergrowth was helpful to observe the snow structure but most locations in Lambs are more brushy.
Stability test results were not impressive. We did get propagation after removing the top 50 cms of snow.
Video
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable
Coordinates
