Observation: Days Fork

I traveled up the Flagstaff Ridge to look at slopes in Upper Days Fork and see how the snowpack was responding to the recent dry and warm conditions. During the early December storm cycle, each named ski run along the upper cottonwood ridgeline from Upper Days through Hideaway Park avalanched at least once. Looking at the remaining snowpack in the Upper Days starting zone showed 4-6" of dry faceted snow remaining above a 2-4" basal ice on the ground. As snow reloads this (and similar) slope(s) I expect will avalanche again. Looking at the snowpack lower in the drainage on sheltered north-facing slopes around 9500' that did not avalanche showed a much different structure. There I found a snowpack that was moist to the ground. The weak layer near the ground was still reactive in some Extended Column Tests, but not all. While this moisture could facilitate strengthening if the weather remains active and the pack deepens, a return to cold, high-pressure conditions would likely weaken the snowpack further. Something to keep an eye on.

While snow available for transport was limited, strong winds drifted snow along upper ridges onto north and east aspects. These winds occasionally reached into sheltered terrain, despite visible snow transport, I did not observe any fresh, sensitive wind drifts as of 4 PM.