Observation Date
12/17/2022
Observer Name
M. Beacham
Region
Southwest » Cedar Canyon Region
Location Name or Route
Blowhard Mountain
Comments
Beautiful, sunny day in Cedar Canyon. Midway snotel reporting 41 inches total snow and temps in the mid to high 30s. Observed N winds from 5-10 mph increasing in the afternoon. A hard melt crust was prevalent on south aspects and the snow is melting off quickly at lower elevations.
I encountered consistent collapsing throughout the day. Collapsing was experienced on all aspects in both sheltered and open terrain, but was most common on east facing slopes and flats, especially under wind-affected snow.
A test pit was dug on a North aspect at 10600 ft. near Blowhard Mountain. I measured 103cm of snow. The top 30cm was solid under a small layer of soft powder. A weak layer of faceted snow exists from 60-65cm. Snow underneath that layer was soft and sugary aside from a thin layer of ice 40cm from the ground.
ECTP 22, failed on facet layer 65cm from the ground.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
None
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
None
Coordinates