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Observation: Garden City Bowls

Observation Date
1/16/2024
Observer Name
Chris Benson
Region
Logan » Bear Lake » Garden City Canyon » Garden City Bowls
Location Name or Route
Garden City Bowl
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
The storm and wind deposited snow from the last week were easy to identify and formed a cohesive slab in a wind affected area near ridge line on an East aspect (8,600'). In contrast, the underlying sugary/faceted snow was much softer and lacked cohesion. Several ECTPs with mod/hard loading were observed at the interface of these two layers.
Throughout the day, our group observed nearly a half dozen collapses when breaking trail- a good reminder to get off the beaten path and seek out those obvious signs of instability. Perhaps these were failing on "Basil Facets", or perhaps more of the action was concentrated along the new snow/old snow interface-similar to our ECT results.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
Didn't get into a wind loaded aspect but the shear volume of snow that has been redistributed is readily apparent. Along ridges, erosion forms have up to 1m of relief and many West facing aspects look like they have been utterly blasted. This made for skiing that was "almost good".
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable
Coordinates