Pro Field Report

Basic Information

Observation Date:

December 30, 2021

Submitted:

December 30, 2021

Observer:

SAC - Savage - OFF DUTY REC DAY

Zone or Region:

Soldier and Wood River Valley Mtns

Location:

Trail Creek near Sun Peak/Triple Peaks (SW-S-SE-E: 6000-7500')

Recent Avalanches?

None Observed

Cracking?

None Experienced

Collapsing?

None Experienced

I poked around on the little bit of wind slab I found to try to make something crack, no results. However, there isn't much terrain conducive to wind slab formation where we traveled.

Stability Rating:

Very Good

Confidence in Rating:

Moderate

Stability Trend:

Steady

No old Oct snow where we traveled (lower and middle elevations, mostly southerly aspects), and no stability issues where we traveled. Thin snowpack (1-2.5 feet) with sage still poking through or into most layers. There were some wind slabs at exposed ridgelines over 7000', but fairly isolated + thin and no cracking experienced below 7500'.

Advanced Information

Cloud Cover:

Mostly Cloudy

Temperature:

Teens F

Wind:

Light

New/Recent Snowfall:

Maybe 1-2cm of newer snow (last night/this morning).

Calm to light winds, so no active transport where we were. Still plenty of snow available for transport if/when winds do pick up. Cool day with little sun, so no heating issues at the snow surface.

No formal pits on a rec day, just pole probing and hand pits.
SW-S below 6500': 40-60cm with 20-40cm of storm snow on top: older snow from mid-December turning into a mess of larger FC and crusts that is beginning to resemble the old Oct snow (12/11 layer) in other areas...will have to watch this as it's changing fast where the snowpack is thin...some SH shards in the uppermost FC above a crust, but not standing up.
SW-S 6500-7500': 50-70cm with 25-40cm storm snow: faint crust and FC at the interface between the recent storm and mid-Dec storm but variable distribution/structure with slight change in aspect/slope angle - crust thins as you climb in elevation: older mid-Dec storm snow=mixed forms, RG
SE-E: 60-90cm: 30-60cm storm snow (windblown where deeper): subtle, fairly nondescript interface between the recent storm and mid-Dec storm but some FC in places: mid-Dec storm snow is mostly RG but some mixed forms+FC

Summary: No old Oct snow here, and 12/19 layer(s) were subtle and inconsistent. There isn't much of a slab where we traveled either.

We planned to avoid all avalanche terrain where Oct snow existed; we stayed on more southerly aspects below 7500' to do so. We skied slopes in the low 30's. In steeper terrain, thin coverage would have been a bigger concern than avalanches below 7500' where we traveled.