Observation Date
12/25/2023
Observer Name
Champion/Talty
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » 10420
Location Name or Route
Guardsman Pass - 10420
Comments
Meanwhile, the weak snowpack structure still exists, with the facets sitting on the ground. Today’s primary concern is soft slabs of wind-drifted snow along upper-elevation ridgelines. Today, while traveling, there were obvious signs of texture and driving above 9000’. Despite the signs of wind drifting, we saw very few signs of instability today. We were unable to get any cracking or collapsing in steeper terrain. The upper few inches remain low density and will continue to be easy for transport at the upper elevations if winds remain elevated over the next 24 hours. Outside of the windzone, the new snow was easy to push around. It was not cohesive, but low density and could be fast moving in cofinded terrain.
The new snow surface has also begun to weaken; with the upcoming weather, I would guess we will continue to see the fresh surface snow continue to facet and weaken over the next 7-10 days, which could pose a problem once we see a large load ontop of that.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
None
Coordinates