Observation Date
12/12/2023
Observer Name
Ambler & Katz
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Alta Periphery
Location Name or Route
Alta Periphery
Weather
Sky
Scattered
Weather Comments
After breaking through the tendrils of smog stretching into the canyon skies were mostly clear, where a scattering of high clouds drift calmly, temperatures offer a measure of comfort and quietude.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Melt-Freeze Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
In the mid to upper elevations a pleasant, tenderness describes the surface most slopes, reaching from the shade even the southeast aspects with a softness undamaged by the recent winds and solar activity. The feeble December sun, a distant witness, bestows its warmth selectively. The dense, settled snow keeps one off of most protrusions of rock and root while still being soft enough to turn around and admire the path of descent. That said, the tide is still low and early season conditions are clearly still at hand.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Today, the landscape remained silent, devoid of any glaring red flags, only after excavation was a lingering presence of structural fragility still obvious, deeper within the snowpack in the walls of our pit.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
In the pit poor structure unveils itself beneath the foreboding weight of a dense slab riding not yet healed facets. The facets, found likely in the early stages of of a gradual metamorphosis, whisper of rounding edges, yet their inherent weakness still lingers in the now quiet depths below. The grains at the ground and just above the first crust clung together willingly, forming snowballs in the palm of the hand. The slightly finer grains from 25-50 were still dry and just barely starting to round.
Snow Profile
Aspect
Northwest
Elevation
9,900'
Slope Angle
31°
Comments
This pit spot was expected to be relatively deep for the range and representative of this specific zone. You'll notice our layers of concern are gaining strength but still show poor structure. See below photos of some of the grains in question on a 2mm grid along with other photos from today. There are plenty of willing stability testers out there helping gather data.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates
