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Observation: Cutler Ridge

Observation Date
1/2/2025
Observer Name
Derek DeBruin, Cage Vigil
Region
Ogden » Ben Lomond » Cutler Ridge
Location Name or Route
Ben Lomond, Cutler Ridge
Weather
Weather Comments
Warm. Overcast skies, terrain above 8800ft or so obscured by clouds. No accumulating precip throughout the day. Winds were variable. Light, gusting to moderate in places, unexpectedly calm in others. Swirly and seemingly from both the north and south in differing locations.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Characteristics Comments
3" of fresh down low, 6" up high. Rimed stellars and graupel turning to mostly stellars with increasing elevation. Below this was the rain crust up to 7500ft or so, slowly decomposing, not super supportive, and about 10cm thick. At higher elevations up to at least 8650ft, rime crust was still present under the new snow, thin and starting to decompose. Wind affected snow in exposed areas, stripped to the rime crust, and loaded in others. Wind loaded zones were generally about 4F underfoot, with 1F in some places. HS 100-120, 150-160, 180+ at low, mid, high elevations respectively.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Little in the way of red flags today. Definitely snow transport occurring, generally low level saltation, but occasional significant plumes. Highest ridgelines had steady snow transport in limited locations. Old avalanches are still visible and getting filled in. No new avalanche activity noted. Saw a couple minor D1s on high elevation slopes where the sun kissed the new snow. Not much happened underfoot. Storm slabs were not well connected, and even steep-ish test slopes didn't offer much for dry loose. Suspect if we'd skied over 40 degrees we might've had to manage sluffs, but that was definitely not in the travel plan today.
Snow Profile
Aspect
Northwest
Elevation
8,600'
Slope Angle
18°
Comments
Dug NNW at 8600ft, HS 180. Found 15cm new snow unreactive atop the rime crust. CT yielded nothing noteworthy. We took 20cm off the top (not a true DT), but got failure at the ground with the first tap from the elbow. ECTN. Shaved snow off the ECT and got something to happen on the basal facets with only about a meter of snow left on top of it. PST down 125cm (the top of the basal facets) yielded no reactivity. Approx. 55cm of basal facets, 0.3mm grains or so, clustered, 4F, moist, and rounding. Couple cm of firm crust atop the facets, then rightside up 1F, 4F, F to the surface (with the thin rime crust down 15cm).
Pictured below:
#1 Dead Tree Knob avalanche nearly filled in with wind drifted snow.
#2 Cutler Headwall avalanches also nearly filled in.
#3 Wind affected ca. 8,000ft.
#4 The 30x30cm column that failed on the basal facets when tapped from the elbow from 160cm higher.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
None
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
None
Coordinates