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Observation: Lanes Leap

Observation Date
3/30/2022
Observer Name
Talty, Champion
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » 10420 » Lanes Leap
Location Name or Route
Lanes Leap
Weather
Sky
Few
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Calm
Weather Comments
We observed calm wind this afternoon from the NW, then veering to the W, with occasional light gusts. Temperatures felt warm in the sun, and were sustained in the upper 20's (F).
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
Snow surfaces held a few inches of soft, damp powder atop a supportable moist old snow surface.
Snow Profile
Aspect
Northeast
Elevation
9,700'
Comments
We went for a tour towards 10,420' this afternoon to take a look at the new snow, and to see if the facets formed from the Jan-Feb drought were beginning to become moist. We were met with a few inches of soft, damp powder at the snow surface, which laid atop a supportable moist old snow surface. This made for easy skinning aside from some skin glop. We stopped to dig a pit on a NE facing slope at 9700'. We found a height of snow of 175cm, with 10cm of new snow. We found the facets (formed Jan-Feb) 42 cm beneath the snow surface (55-133 cm above the ground). The facets in this location were rounding, 3 mm large, and were moist enough to make a snowball (see video).
While the rounding and moist nature of these facets might be an indication that we are slowly moving in the right direction, we could continue to see avalanches on this weak layer. The amount of water moving through the upper snowpack has created uncertainty regarding how this weak layer will perform day to day. Only time will help heal this instability in our unusual late-season snowpack, and patience is what it deserves from us.
Video
Video
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates