Professional Observation
Basic Information
Observation Details
Observation Date:
March 15, 2020Submitted:
March 15, 2020Observer:
SAC - Savage: OFF DUTY - RECREATIONALZone or Region:
Soldier and Wood River Valley MtnsLocation:
Croy Canyon: most aspects to 6800'Signs of Unstable Snow
Recent Avalanches?
None ObservedCracking?
None ExperiencedCollapsing?
None ExperiencedSnow Stability
Stability Rating:
Very GoodConfidence in Rating:
HighStability Trend:
Bottom Line
We were out from 1-4 PM. Warm temps and sun were cooking the snowpack on all aspects below about 7000'. There may have been some wind drifts right at exposed ridgelines (I felt either crusts or stiffer drifted snow from Saturday), but they were softening and melting in the sun+warm temps and behaved like warm, moist/wet snow. The sun had melted all the new snow off SE-S-SW-W aspects by 4 PM Sunday. On slopes that still had snow, the new snow from the past 36 hrs was damp/moist/wet.
Advanced Information
Weather Summary
Cloud Cover:
Mostly SunnyTemperature:
30s FWind:
CalmAbout 3" (8cm) Saturday morning and again Sat night-Sunday morning: total of 5-6" (12-15cm). The lack of afternoon cloud cover and light winds made it feel quite hot this afternoon. There was a little wind effect on the surface above about 6500', but we didn't see any obvious signs of fresh drifting in Croy Canyon. Little to no snow is currently available for transport.
Snowpack Observations
Some rollerballs on N, NE slopes near 6000'. Surfaces were a variety of dirt and damp>moist>wet snow. Corn was already reforming on some NW-N-NE-E old wind-hardened surfaces.
Avalanche Problems
| Problem | Location | Distribution | Sensitivity | Size | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wet Loose
|
|
Layer Depth/Date: 3/14 Specific to slopes near or above 40* in steepness (I wasn't around any of that terrain). Educated guess on sensitivity. |
Terrain Use
We didn't avoid any terrain due to avalanche concerns. W-NW-N-NE-E aspects approaching or over 40* would have needed evaluation/mitigation for wet loose issues before skiing them. I would not have spent more time than needed below large, very steep paths that directly faced the sun.
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