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Observation: Gold Hill

Observation Date
12/9/2023
Observer Name
Ted Scroggin
Region
Uintas » Gold Hill
Location Name or Route
Gold Hill
Weather
Sky
Few
Wind Speed
Calm
Weather Comments
Nice day out on the forest with a cold start this morning, but it warmed up to be a pleasant day with calm winds and lots of sunshine.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
12"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Faceted Loose
Snow Characteristics Comments
This recent storm really helped the conditions with a solid 12-15" on this side of the range. The snow coverage is getting better, I stayed mostly to the roads, but some riders were having a good day in the meadows and low angle terrain. One more good storm should really open up more terrain and hopefully cover the bigger hazards still lurking out there.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
A few notable collapses off the beaten path which tells me the snow pack is still adjusting to the recent storm snow. The snow pack on the shady north side of the compass is still questionable with the weak early season snow near the ground only buried a couple feet.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
The new snow seemed to be a bit on the low density side and did not over stress the snow pack to the breaking point as far as observing any natural avalanche activity. I was getting some collapsing as I traveled around which is a red flag to unstable snow and would still not trust the early season snow pack right now.
Comments
The riding conditions are improving with each storm. I did not venture too far off the beaten path today, but some riders were finding decent snow although there is only about two feet on the ground in the Gold Hill area. I was finding about 12-15" of low density new snow from this past storm.
I dug a couple quick snow pits in the lower Gold Hill area today with the first photo of a southeast facing slope where the new/old snow interface is easy to find where a crust developed with clear weather last week.
The north facing snow pit has the early season weak, sugary faceted snow near the ground where the concerns are right now.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates