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Observation: Mineral Fork

Observation Date
12/26/2021
Observer Name
Meisenheimer/Gagne/Trenbeath/Wessler
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Mineral Fork
Location Name or Route
Mineral Fork
Weather
Sky
Obscured
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Strong
Weather Comments
It was a good day if you like being in the weather. Cold. Windy.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
The snow surface has taken a beating from the wind at the mid and upper elevations. In places, the wind stripped the snow down to old crusts. In other places, the wind made rock-hard crusts. It's a mixed bag out there. However, in wind-sheltered terrain, the riding conditions were excellent.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Heavy Snowfall
Wind Loading
Cracking
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
The weak layer of faceted snow remains the biggest concern in my mind. We found this layer to be the weakest, about 40 cm above the ground. These facets are still very dry, fist hardness and striated grains 2-4 mm in size.
The old snow from October and November starts to show up around 8,000' in elevation and is roughly 1" think on the ground. As you gain elevation the weak layer gets thicker and thicker.
For now, the slab continues to build on top of this poor structure, and the snowpack should not be trusted. We only traveled on slopes less than 30° in steepness with nothing steep above it.
Video
Today's Observed Danger Rating
High
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
High