Weak snow near the ground is still a concern. I'm afraid we're stuck with this problem until we solidly transition into a more "spring-like" snowpack.
Calm wind and clear skies. The -23 F start at the truck did (thankfully) warmup considerably as I climbed into 4th of July. It was T-shirt skinning weather at mid and upper elevations. Settled snow depths from the last storm ranged from 10-15 cm.
# | Date | Location | Size | Type | Bed Sfc | Depth | Trigger | Comments | Photo |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Blackman Peak NW 9,900' |
D2.5 | Old deep slab. I couldn't make out the crown but the flanks were thick. | None |
There were relatively few avalanches here during last weekend's storm. A few D1.5 debris piles but much less activity than in the Sawtooths. There were only a few D1-D1.5 wet loose avalanches of note due to the recent warming from the sun.
9,500’, SSE (160 deg.), HS 135 cm:
Snow depths ranged from 110-145 cm in this area. The upper pack was a layer cake of four knife hard melt-freeze crusts with no obvious weak layers. The lower pack held a stiff (1F) slab over 32 cm of facets near the ground. The facets at the ground were well bonded (4F+) but the layer 10 cm up from the ground was still very weak (Fist 3 mm facets).
Lots of wind in the exposed alpine scoured ridges and left a patchwork of hard slabs.
Problem | Location | Distribution | Sensitivity | Size | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Persistent Slab |
|
Layer Depth/Date: Near the ground. Comments: This layer is still very weak. PST 25/125 End on 3 mm Facets |
I did not encounter any reactive wind slabs. I saw very few D1-D1.5 wet loose from the previous day.
With a partner, I would have considered steep lines with a more consistently deep snowpack. The more scoured, rocky, terrain with variable snow depths and hard slabs was still easily spooky enough to avoid.