Pro Field Report

Basic Information

Observation Details

Observation Date:
December 19, 2021
Submitted:
December 19, 2021
Observer:
SAC - Savage - OFF DUTY
Zone or Region:
Soldier and Wood River Valley Mtns
Location:
Croy Canyon (NE-N-NW-W-SW-S: lower and middle elevations)

Signs of Unstable Snow

Recent Avalanches? 
None Observed
Cracking? 
None Experienced
Collapsing? 
None Experienced

Snow Stability

Stability Rating: 
Very Good
Confidence in Rating: 
High
Stability Trend: 
Steady

Bottom Line

Quick trip to see what the snow was like up Croy Canyon: At lower and middle elevations where we traveled, the snowpack is 20-50cm (8-20") deep, consisting entirely of new snow from the recent storm. Surprisingly, we were staying off the ground on skis. No signs of instability.

Advanced Information

Weather Summary

Cloud Cover:
Obscured
Temperature:
20s F
Wind:
Light
New/Recent Snowfall:
It snowed a couple inches (5cm) while we were out. About 4" (10cm) fell in this area by sunset.

Plenty of low-density snow is available for transport.

Snowpack Observations

Steeper (over 30*) W/SW and SW aspects had a thin crust (radiation recrystallization or sun or some of both?) in the upper part of the pack with fairly well-developed facets above and below. The faceting was impressive given the recent weather. We did not travel on S, SE, or E aspects. W-N-NE aspects had a well-graded snowpack with denser snow in the lower half of the snowpack and lighter, fluffier snow (PP, DF, and maybe some small FC but I didn't look closely) closer to the surface.

Terrain Use

No terrain was closed due to avalanche concerns where we traveled, and we did not see anything to change our minds; we were confident the recent storm snow fell on the bare ground where we traveled. However, the thin snowpack made skiing steeper terrain dicey.