Observation Date
2/6/2023
Observer Name
Maggie Nielsen, Luke Kantola, Chad Heying
Region
Moab
Location Name or Route
Corkscrew Glades
Weather
Sky
Broken
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
North
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
The morning started out calm with blue skies. As the day progressed, clouds quickly moved in and we even saw some sporadic snowfall around 1-2pm with no real accumulation. Visibility varied but was mostly good throughout our ski. Wind direction was variable and we saw winds come out of the North, West, and South during our tour. The intensity of wind varied as well with light to moderate bursts every so often. We observed spindrift off the tops of peaks early on in the day and for the most part, it was blowing out of the North and loading Southerly aspects. We also had some brief moments of intense sun and heat but it wasn't enough to soften up the sunny aspects that have been experiencing the development of a sun crust and wind crust. We also observed the presence of rime on the trees above 10,500' on W aspects.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
2"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
The snow surface is variable out there! We found the best skiing in the sheltered, northerly trees of Corkscrew Glades. In open meadows and gashes, the wind affect turned the riding conditions into a bit more of a rodeo ride with intermittent crusts and surface conditions bucking you around. The top 2-3" of snow was quite reactive at times and at one point, I was able to kick off a 5' x 5' slab of this new snow that had seen some wind affect. It was nothing to scoff at as it could easily knock you off your feet and send you into unwanted terrain and hazards with possibly poor outcomes.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Cracking
Red Flags Comments
The top 2-3" had a propensity to propagate out in areas of sun and wind affect. The wind loading appeared fairly minimal from what we observed but it is happening out there with the 2" we received.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
New Snow
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
The new snow is quite reactive, especially where the wind has started to pack it into a more cohesive slab. Knocking off this shallow slab could easily knock you off your feet and lead to trouble. Be mindful and cautious out there.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Normal Caution
Trend
Same
Problem #2 Comments
Conditions are very variable out there and we are not yet out of trouble with new layers of concern still being added to the mix in some areas (i.e. sun crusts).
Snow Profile
Aspect
North
Elevation
10,800'
Slope Angle
30°
Comments
We had a great time out today and had to overcome face shots :) We dug a quick pit and did primarily see an upright structure in the top meter of snow and got no results on a compression test. Had the conditions not deteriorate quickly, we would've looked a bit closer at some micro-layers we saw staining the snowpit wall. We still made conservative decisions as we skied today but did step up into a different level of terrain than we have been skiing so far this season.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Low
Coordinates
