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Observation: Mirror Lake Highway

Observation Date
11/7/2024
Observer Name
Ted Scroggin
Region
Uintas » Mirror Lake Highway
Location Name or Route
Mirror Lake Hwy-Murdock Mt.
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Direction
Northeast
Wind Speed
Calm
Weather Comments
Clear and cold, but slightly warmer each day. The winds were calm where I traveled, but I could see the northeast winds blowing snow off the high peaks early in the day.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
6"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Wind Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
Looks like anywhere from 6-8" from the storm early in the week and the snow pack is slowly building.
Snow Profile
Elevation
10,800'
Comments
The recent snow is helping to build the snow pack, but the conditions are still very thin. I was finding about 12-16" around the Murdock Mt. area with places that have been getting the winds from all directions the snow is about 2' deep.
I dug this pit in one of the deeper places on a northeast aspect where the winds have been drifting the snow. I was a little surprised to get this block of snow to crack and propagate on a thin layer of weak sugary snow that is above the mid October crust when there was all the warm mild weather. The pit location is not ideal due to all the rocks and the piece of wood I found, but it does show a thicker slab on top of the weak layer of snow. There is still a lot of trees and rocks to break up the slab, but there might be a pocket or two where this set up could be a problem if you are poking around along the ridge lines.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
None
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
None
Coordinates