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Observation: Mary Ellen Gulch

Observation Date
12/15/2023
Observer Name
Zimmerman-Wall/ AIARE PRO 1
Region
Provo » American Fork » Mary Ellen Gulch
Location Name or Route
Sinner's Pass/Mary Ellen Gulch
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Temperatures remained very cold in the shade but were pleasant in the sun. Wind was barely detectable, even at ridgetop.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Faceted Loose
Snow Characteristics Comments
The mid elevation northerly and easterly facing slopes we chose had undergone significant surface faceting with notable surface hoar growth on open slopes in the forest. This made for excellent turning conditions and was surprisingly supportable. The southerly facing slopes on the Mary Ellen side of Sinners pass had that subtle sheen that indicated the surface was a bit moist, but it was not a full sun crust on the low angle slopes just off the ridgeline. We did not sample these slopes due to objectives and time constraints.
Comments
Not placing a problem on the board at this time- for this zone. Which is one of the deepest in the Wasatch. However, the persistent weak layer that was buried around Nov 18th still presented itself in every profile we performed (12 across a football field sized piece of terrain at 9400' on North facing terrain). The height of snow in this area varied from 90-140cm. We performed over two dozen snow pack tests across the student group. Most notable results were a couple of ECTN down 25-30cm on the previous interface between the early December storms. A handful of our PST tests targeting the weak layer showed propagation at around 50% of the cut length. And while we did get one or two CT SC in that same layer, it was on the hardest set of taps. All this nerdery indicates we have a verifiable low danger. No class one data (recent activity) was observed. However, I will always maintain my ability to be surprised by an outlier and we didn't push into consequential terrain. Enjoy the facet harvest while it lasts.
Pictures:
PST in one profile. 50/100 End. North facing 9400'
East facing terrain at 9400'. Note the textures and ability to still make out the ground configuration of this boulder field. This was the shallowest area at about 50cm deep.
Sinners Southeast facing slope at 9800. See the subtle sheen?
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
None
Coordinates