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Observation: Uintas

Observation Date
12/9/2025
Observer Name
Derek DeBruin
Region
Uintas
Location Name or Route
Bald Mountain, Reids Peak
Weather
Weather Comments
Had quite the day out in the Bald Mountain/Reids Peak zone. Weather forecast verified. Winds reminded my of Patagonia--strong and sustained, a constant companion reminding you that if it's not strapped to your body, you no longer own it. High levels winds were SW as forecast, but plenty of swirling happening below the ridgelines. Temps were just below freezing at Bald Mountain Pass at 0800, and likely warmed a bit by the afternnon, but the wind chill seemed to make that irrelevant. Clouds started streaming in between 1100 and 1200, socking in anything over about 11,000ft or so. Snow started spitting on the pass at 1800.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Characteristics Comments

Surface conditons were a mixed bag, though the theme was wind affected. Polar aspects had boot pen ranging from mid-shin to mid-thigh, and wind drifts were waist deep at times. The slab(s) overlying the still-very-present sugary junk at the ground was generally 1F/1F+, though heavily loaded terrain occasionally had P hard surface. Solar aspects at these elevations weren't all that different with regard to depth, but tended to have softer but a bit dense snow, 4F-1F. The trees harbored the closest thing to soft fresh that remained. A few well exposed locations had a thin crust on top, a reminder that the nerves on my shins are not quite totally dead yet as I trudged through it. Plenty of snow was moving in the wind, too. Hwy 150 was dry in the morning but sported several blown-in sections by nightfall.

Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Heavy Snowfall
Wind Loading
Cracking
Collapsing
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
See below
Comments

Stuck a hand in the snow in a few places to confirm that yes, there are still basal facets with a whole bunch of water weight on top.

Noted several old D1 pockets high on the E and NE sides of Bald Mountain. There was also a very small pocket that had ripped just left of the climbing route "98 Pounds," which is at the bottom skiers left side of what I believe is called the "Living Room" if skiing (the NE slope beneath the Bald-Reids saddle). There was also a fair amount of old debris at the base of Scum Couloir. It appeared a small pocket had ripped at the base, but the rest of it appears to have funneled down from wind slab activity near the ridgeline above.

The bigger story to me, though, was collapsing. I ended up circumnavigating Bald Mountain today, and experienced literally dozens of collapses, without regard to aspect, ranging from a few feet to about 100 feet across. There were so many I stopped counting or investigating. It simply became a part of walking through the (sub 30 degree) snow. The only aspect I did NOT experience collapsing was SE, and that was simply because I didn't travel on that aspect. Certainly, the bullseye aspects had collapsing, but so did W-SW-S, to my surprise. It definitely felt like a "scary moderate" day.

Ironically, the terrain directly beneath the NE/E faces of Reids might have been some of the most stable snow I encountered. That said, I avoided the Living Room entirely, so unsure if it's simply waiting for a trigger. This is pure speculation, but I wonder if the lack of reactivity might have been due to stiff (P hard) slabs bridging over the weaker snow, plus certain areas with enough boulders sticking through to break up any chance at a contiguous weak layer.

Photo below of one of the bigger collapses, with attendant cracking.

Today's Observed Danger Rating
None
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
None
Coordinates