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Observation: Little Cottonwood Canyon

Observation Date
2/18/2025
Observer Name
Kelly, Garcia
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon
Location Name or Route
Upper Cottonwood Canyons
Weather
Sky
Overcast
Precipitation
Moderate Snowfall
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Overcast skies with light to moderate snowfall. Winds were mainly blowing from the northwest and picked up in speed in the afternoon. Temperatures at nearby weather stations were in the low to mid teens °F. There were some breaks in the clouds and some sun, but not very long and not enough to warm the snow surface.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
4"
New Snow Density
Medium
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
4" new snow during the day and since the 14th of February looking at 30"-40" of settled snow. There was lot of rimed snow above 10,200' and above 10,500' the rime was thick and the skies were obscured.
Photo of rimed trees west facing 10,400'
Red Flags
Red Flags
Heavy Snowfall
Wind Loading
Poor Snowpack Structure
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Problem #1 Comments
We observed a cornice triggered avalanche on a north facing aspect at 10,500' that was 6"-8" deep x 100' wide and ran 100' vertical.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
New Snow
Problem #2 Comments
Minor new snow sloughing (dry loose avalanches) on steep terrain on north facing Patsy at 9,800' in elevation.
Snow Profile
Aspect
West
Elevation
10,500'
Slope Angle
33°
Comments
West facing snowpit at 10,440' in elevation. No propagation with an extended column test. 3 failures in density changes within the newest snow. The graupel layer did not have any failure in this location. After testing we pried on the block and had failure on a layer of broken stellars 2' from the surface. Faceted snow we found in this pit location was showing signs of rounding and with a depth of 7' (221cm).
Southerly facing snowpit at 10,370' in elevation. We felt good about the stability in this pit, but this was a relatively low angle slope. Steep slopes with a southerly aspect may have more facet/crust combos and they might exist higher up in the pack.
South facing snowpit at 10,370'
Photo of UAC Moab Forecaster Dave Garcia digging deep into the layers
We traveled today at elevations ranging from 9,000' to 10,800' on all aspects. We set out to dig on westerly and southerly facing terrain and where we dug above 10,000' we did not find that the persistent weak layer was a player in these locations. We found some rounding facets and imagine in thinner westerly facing (wind stripped) locations or repeater avalanche paths there would be more developed facets. With the complexity of this season's snowpack, we would assess each steep slope individually before committing to traveling on or underneath it.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable
Coordinates