Observation Date
2/18/2023
Observer Name
Nauman
Region
Moab
Location Name or Route
Lone Pine
Weather
Sky
Scattered
Wind Direction
South
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Uncle gusty was out today with wind kicking up late morning just as we entered Gold Basin. The snow surfaces even in areas usually more sheltered in lower parts of GB had variable wind crusts. The sun was pretty strong and temps not too cold, but the wind kept things on the cool side.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
Solar aspects have variable sun crusts, the wind has impacted all but the most sheltered areas. I was expected more sheltering from the wind farther into Gold Basin, but downslope winds off the ridgelines were both depositing snow and building harder slab surfaces. Close to timberline we really started hitting wind slabs, but also found facets in the old snow as others have been seeing. I also noticed the distribution is not continuous and varies slope to slope.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Cracking
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
At timberline, we encountered more reactive wind slabs that started to crack. We also ran into facets in Lone Pine that were under some of the wind slabs we encountered. This kept us from traveling higher onto the line we were hoping to ski.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
There was substantial wind transport with fresh wind slabs forming throughout the day. The wind affected snow will be reactive until it has some time to settle. In a few quick pits I dug, surface layers with cohesion from wind deposition easily popped off of facets formed in the old snow surface that rotted during our period of high pressure.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #2 Comments
Unfortunately, we fan into the PWL that has been described by Trenbeath and Benson where the old snow surface developed facets. We observed ~2mm facets in the 4 minipits I dug on Lone Pine and there were smaller facets (1 to 1.5mm) on Tele Heaven. These would make for an easy release of a wind slab, but we didn't see any avalanche activity despite folks (including a risk-seeking soloer) skiing some big lines in the last two days... However, having wind slabs on top of facets is not a very trustworthy situation.
Comments
Photo of the facets in an area that had lost most of it's new snow in wind transport. I consistently found this layer around Lone Pine, often under larger wind deposition layers (~1' to 2').
Uncle Gusty at play with the snow.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates
