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Observation: Whitney Basin

Observation Date
11/30/2016
Observer Name
Ted Scroggin
Region
Uintas » Bear River Ranger District » Whitney Basin
Location Name or Route
Whitney Basin, Double Hill
Weather
Sky
Broken
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
A cold crisp day with single digit temps this am and very light snow throughout the day with little to no accumulation.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
3"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Dense Loose
Snow Characteristics Comments
Nice cold low density snow and the recent storm came in right side up, with light snow on top and more medium density underneath to give some support while riding and turning.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Red Flags Comments
The only red flag I observed was some minimal wind drifting on north and east aspects. In localized areas there is some shallow weak snow near the ground, but I did not observe any slides that broke on this layer.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
The wind drifting this afternoon was fairly limited to the higher exposed ridge lines on slopes that were facing north through northeast.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #2 Comments
The snow pack appeared to adjust to the added weight from the recent storm. The weak sugary snow near the ground that has been around since October and November on high shady north facing slopes has not seen much activity from what I have observed.
Comments
The North Slope T. H. is starting to look like winter. The Whitney Road is currently being plowed until the middle of December for winter logging.
The snow depth in Whitney Basin varies from a foot and a half to two feet and the snow pack is fairly supportable for riding and turning. Still lots of hidden hazards when you leave the road. Riders are finding good cold snow and the meadows offer fun times.
I was finding some very localized small shallow soft slabs that were a little sensitive to the weight of a person. These did not pose much of a hazard, unless a person was in steep terrain. There was some natural minor shallow soft wind slabs on the top of Double Hill that happened recently. The Whitney area is starting to fill in and look like winter.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate