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Observation: Hells Canyon

Observation Date
1/21/2025
Observer Name
Champion & Bishop
Region
Ogden » Snowbasin Backcountry » Hells Canyon
Location Name or Route
Sloth Ridge
Weather
Sky
Few
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Strong
Weather Comments
A very cold and windy day. The skies were mainly clear, and the sun was out, making it beautiful despite the chill. Temperatures never seemed to climb out of the teens, and wind transport was obvious along the ridgelines and ridgetops. We nearly got blown away near 9,000 feet while exiting the resort boundary.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Faceted Loose
Wind Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
We saw a wide variety of snow surfaces during our travels. On true solar aspects, there was a mix of melt-freeze or breakable crust. On polar aspects, the surface had begun to facet and weaken, with some areas showing multiple centimeters of faceting. This led to small facet-sluffs or 'facet-lanches' in steeper zones.
In wind-exposed areas along ridgelines, the slopes were firm and heavily scoured. Directly below these wind zones, where terrain allowed for some accumulation, we found shallow wind-drifted snow. Depths ranged from just a few inches of soft, easily breakable snow to shallow but more consolidated slabs. In areas where the wind-drifted snow was less consolidated, we enjoyed some softer, smoother turns.
Small facet sluff - NW Aspect - 7300'
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Cracking
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
The big red flag right now is wind loading. There’s been a ton of transport near ridgelines and ridgetops, with snow piling up anywhere it can accumulate. We also saw cracking along wind drifts. The snowpack structure is generally really poor and will likely keep getting weaker during this dry spell. The snow has dried out quite a bit since last week, with dry facets both near the surface and down at the ground.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
Nearly blew away today. Strong winds were a big factor today, especially along ridgelines and subridges where gusts really picked up mid-day. The exposed areas were heavily impacted by sublimation, leaving behind firm, scoured snow surfaces. Just a few hundred feet below, though, we came across some clear wind-loaded deposits. These drifts were noticeably reactive, breaking and cracking easily. It was a good reminder to stay tuned into how the wind is moving snow around and keep an eye out for loaded areas just below ridges.
Transport along every subpeak above Snowbasin
Cracking near 8000' NW Ridgeline
Additional cracking 7900' - NW ridge
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
The snowpack remains very weak. We dug a snowpit near 8,300 feet on a northwest aspect of Sloth Ridge in Hell's Canyon, targeting areas with weak, higher-elevation snow. The snowpack was shallow overall, measuring just 116 cm. Much of the upper snowpack showed signs of weakening, and the bottom 30 cm were also notably weak. The grains near the bottom, which had recently been damp, are now very dry and unable to form a snowball.
The snow surface itself easily bounced off the crystal card, and we observed a few facet sluffs during the descent, highlighting how the cold weather has affected the snow surface.
In our stability tests, we were unable to produce results, which was generally expected. However, I would remain cautious in areas where the snowpack is even shallower and sits directly over the weak basal facets.
While this issue seems to be trending toward dormancy for now, the weak snow surface and intact facets near the ground will stay on our radar for any future loading events.
Pit profile - NW aspect -8300' Sloth Ridge
Hand hardness - Sloth Ridge - NW 8300'
ECTX - Sloth Ridge - NW 8300'
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates