Sign Up for the Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop (USAW) on December 7th!
Ad
The National Forest Service Logo
icon-add Observation
Forecasts
Logan Ogden Salt Lake Provo Uintas Skyline Moab Abajos Weather Archives How to read the forecast
Observations & Avalanches
Submit Observation Observations Explorer All Observations Avalanches Fatalities Place Names Map Archives
Education
Avalanche Awareness Develop Skills On-Snow Courses Resources and Tutorials
Events
Store
About
Contact Who we are Core Values Staff Board of Directors Past Forecasters Sponsors Annual Reports Sign In
Blog
icon-add Observation
Donate / Join

Observation: Double Hill

Observation Date
12/15/2023
Observer Name
Staples, Deutschlander, Winzeler, & Winzeler
Region
Uintas » Double Hill
Location Name or Route
Double Hill & Moffit Pass
Weather
Weather Comments
Not a single cloud in the sky and not a single breath of wind
Snow Characteristics
Snow Characteristics Comments
Crusted snow on south facing and great recycled powder on north facing. The snow is generally very supportable, even on foot in many places.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
No red flags except for the presence of a PWL.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
The PWL of old, faceted snow from November is still there but generally dormant now.
Comments
Below are two snow profiles documenting the PWL; however, my main concern for the future is weakening of the snow surface. The surface hoar likely won't survive, but there are small facets on most northerly facing slopes. The surface snow will continue to weaken during warm sunny days and clear cold nights.
We didn't see any signs of instability - no avalanches, no collapses, no cracking, no recent loading, no wind loading, and stability test scores that have been going up.
First profile on the backside (west side) of double hill
Second profile near Moffit Pass
Video
Beautiful day out there. Worth getting into the hills.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Low
Coordinates