Observation: Dry Fork of AF

Observation Date
11/13/2021
Observer Name
Bo Torrey & Andrew Nassetta
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Alta Periphery » Dry Fork of AF
Location Name or Route
Upper Dry Fork
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wet Snow
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
We observed many small D1 wet-loose avalanches on east and southeast-facing slopes. These avalanches ran on Friday as the new snow warmed. The snow surface on the south and east aspects did warm through the day and the top 3 to 4inches became damp but did not produce any additional wet loose activity on Saturday.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
We did not see signs of recent wind-drifted snow today. The winds were calm and there is very limited snow available to transport with the firm surface snow conditions.
Snow Profile
Aspect
North
Elevation
10,000'
Comments
The combination of wind, warm temperatures and rime created a 1 to 2 inch, firm but breakable snow surface. On northerly-facing slopes, the surface is softer but still dense (4F hardness). On some exposed northerly-facing slope we found facets forming on the surface of the crust. We also observed one area with a near completely faceted snowpack. This was on a sheltered north-facing slope at about 10200' with a total snow depth of 50cm.
We dug on a few north and northeast-facing slopes and found a crust facet crust combination about 35cm below the surface. The layer of facets is very thin and didn't fail in any stability tests and had a broken shear plane. Without any avalanche activity to attribute to this layer it's unlikely to be a problem but something to be aware of moving forward.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Low
Coordinates