UDOT PLANNED AVALANCHE CLOSURES!!

Observation: Ben Lomond

Observation Date
11/28/2022
Observer Name
Derek DeBruin
Region
Ogden » Ben Lomond
Location Name or Route
Ben Lomond, Cutler Ridge
Weather
Weather Comments
At the trailhead at 1pm, temp was 26F, 4cm of snow already on the ground, S-1 falling from the sky, blown about by moderate winds out of the N/NE. This theme generally continued for the next 3 hours of the outing, totalling perhaps 7 or 8cm of accumulation in the low elevations by 4pm.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
3"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Faceted Loose
Snow Characteristics Comments
New snow was rimed stellars with a bit of graupel and decent hand cohesion. Fairly smooth and creamy underfoot, gauzy upon close inspection. This sits atop the old facets.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Underneath the new snow is several inches of facets from the surface decomposition over the last couple weeks. We only had time to venture up to about 7000ft (the boundary of the middle elevations), but found sizable and significant buried surface hoar in many places throughout the zone (the Refrigerator Canyon skinner, near the LZ, along the skinner above the LZ, on Indicator Hill, etc.). I was surprised by this distribution and persistence, which included slopes N to E (didn't look into other aspects). Surface hoar was often 0.5 to 1cm feathers, in some cases even a couple centimeters in size. It was also reactive underfoot, with the soft slab of new snow sliding easily when stepping out of the skin track. I will be proceeding very cautiously as the storm snow accumulates this week. Wind effects were also evident in the low elevations, a wind skin forming in exposed locations. We didn't stick around long enough to see more than this, but I have no doubt the classic Cutler Ridge winds were drifting snow readily in the mid and upper elevations.
Comments
About 18" of snowpack at 7000ft. The bottom third is a stout (K) ice lens on the ground. Above this is decomposing snow/facets sandwiched between another thinner crust. Atop the crust is the old snow surface--decomposing mixed forms, near-surface facets, and in many places the large surface hoar. This was buried by 3ish inches of new snow. This generalized to our observations at elevations below.
Pictured is a mediocre hand pit photo and large surface hoar pulled from just beneath the new snow.
Coverage is still low tide. The new snow fell on bare road for the first several hundred yards from the trailhead. Plenty of hazards in the terrain beyond this. A few trees down across the skinner, bushes, rocks, etc. Pictured are the LZ and Indicator Hill to give an idea of coverage.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
None
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
None
Coordinates