Observation Date
3/18/2024
Observer Name
Garcia, Trenbeath, Staples
Region
Moab » Gold Basin » Talking Mountain Cirque
Location Name or Route
Gold Basin > Middle Cirque > Talking Mt Cirque > Lone Pine
Weather
Sky
Scattered
Wind Speed
Calm
Weather Comments
Beautiful day in the mountains. Full sun at times, but plenty of cloud cover moved in and out during the course of the day. Skies went overcast at the end of our tour. It was warm today, but scattered clouds kept things from heating up too much. I think the remaining cold dry snow will react to tomorrow's strong sun and even warmer temps.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Dense Loose
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
It's spring time in the mountains and that means a mixed bag of conditions. Solar aspects had damp snow, and will be crusted over tomorrow. Our travel was mainly on Northerly aspects where we found a range of cold powder, dense loose snow, thicker wind-affected snow, and dense wind slabs that formed Friday into Saturday during the strong winds associated with the storm. Despite the variety of surface conditions, there is plenty of cold, dry snow out there, and the skiing is really great right now.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Cracking
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
We viewed a lot of recent avalanche activity as we covered a lot of ground today. Be sure to check out the recent avalanche obs for full details. Most of the avalanches that occurred during this storm cycle involve the new and wind-drifted snow. We observed recent avalanches in wind-drifted snow near and above treeline on slopes facing W-N-NE. The slides ranged from 6" to 24" deep.
We also observed some small wet-loose avalanches run today on SW aspects.
We found a weak layer of facets in isolated areas today. We experienced one small collapse with a shooting crack. This weak layer was about 2 feet below the surface, in steep, sparsely treed, Northerly facing terrain. Specifically, we found it in upper Lone Pine at the top of the treeline, and in the Middle Cirque Glades as we ascended towards Middle Cirque. More on this weak layer below.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
As stated above, we observed many avalanches involving wind-drifted snow. Throughout our travels, we found slabs of wind-drifted snow on Northerly aspects near treeline and above. We ran across several drifts up to two feet deep. It seems many of the avalanches ran early in the morning on Friday, and had a chance to fill back in with new and wind-drifted snow. We were able to crack out slabs of wind-drifted snow while stomping around the periphery of some of these older avalanches. The snow in Lone Pine was especially reactive under our skis. Simply looking around the alpine terrain, it is easy to see many slopes that are drifted in and waiting for a human trigger. Based on what we saw today, it is safe to say human-triggered avalanches remain possible near treeline and above.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Wet Snow
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
We observed some small wet-loose activity today. The sun was in and out of the clouds all day keeping things from heating up too much. Wet-loose activity will be a concern again on Tuesday as it looks to be even warmer with clear skies.
Comments
The weak layer of faceted snow that we have been tracking since 3/8 is still popping up in isolated areas. We found it during our tour today in two different locations. While skinning up the Middle Cirque Glades, we experienced a small collapse, with a shooting crack. We dug down, and sure enough, there it was. This weak layer is very obvious when you do happen to find it. Two extended column tests today did not produce results on it, but the collapse certainly got my attention. We also found this weak snow in upper Lone Pine in a sparsely treed zone.
This layer should remain on your radar. Here is a low-probability situation I can picture happening if you were to get unlucky. You ski a big line in the alpine, you get away with it, and then you let your guard down as you make your way out towards the bottom of Gold Basin. You ski into a steep, sparsely treed area, and you happen to find a spot where this layer exists. The take home point is to exercise caution in steep sparsely treed areas near treeline and below.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates
