Observation: Mirror Lake Environs

Observation Date
1/2/2023
Observer Name
Staples et al
Region
Uintas » Mirror Lake Environs
Location Name or Route
Western Uintas
Weather
Weather Comments
Photos at the bottow of the weather today.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
13"
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
Perfect riding conditions. Doesn't get any better.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Heavy Snowfall
Red Flags Comments
The main red flag is all the snow. Stability will improve quickly, but for now the snowpack needs at least a short time to adjust to this load.
Comments
Today we were riding in an area with one of the deeper snowpacks in the Uintas; however, that's relative becuase it's getting really deep everywhere. Near 10,000 feet on a south-facing slope, the snowpack was 2 meters deep (6.5 ft) which is remarkable. It is also almost perfectly right side up. What this showed me was a glimpse into very stable conditions in the very near future.
At a lower elevation of 8720 ft SE facing, I also found a good looking snowpack but the November facets were easier to notice but still gaining a lot of hardness and strength.
In terms of avalanche activity, all we saw were soft slabs of new snow about 12 inches deep and not breaking over very wide areas. This instability will be much better tomorrow and probably a non issue in 48 hours.
Video
Another south facing slope with 2 meters of snow
Today's Observed Danger Rating
High
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable
Coordinates