Pro Field Report

Basic Information

Observation Details

Observation Date:
February 15, 2023
Submitted:
February 16, 2023
Observer:
SAC - VandenBos (off duty)
Zone or Region:
Sawtooth and Western Smoky Mtns
Location:
Fishhook to Monolith (6,400-10,300', most aspects)

Signs of Unstable Snow

Recent Avalanches? 
Yes
Cracking? 
None Experienced
Collapsing? 
None Experienced
Avalanches observed refers to small loose snow avalanches and a single very small slab (2m wide, estimated 20cm thick).

Snow Stability

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

Advanced Information

Weather Summary

Cloud Cover:
Mostly Sunny
Wind:
Light , NW
New/Recent Snowfall:
2cm at Ranger Station, 8cm at range front, 10-12cm in Monolith

Mostly clear all day, with occasional small, ragged, mid-level cumulus passing through. Winds calm to low end of light, out of the NW. Cold all day.

Avalanche Observations

I covered a good bit of ground and glassed a lot of terrain and was only able to find small loose snow avalanches (from during the storm and triggered by sun on new snow) and a single very small slab avalanche below a cliff band (2m wide, 20cm thick).

Snowpack Observations

My primary goals today were to stretch the legs and ski some great snow. Success on both counts.

I dug a single pit at 8,800 on a sheltered N/NW aspect where HS was 230-240cm. A handful of layers were present in the upper 1m of the snowpack. A few of the layers in the upper 30-40cm of the snowpack produced ECTNs in the teens to 20s. 1/5 (down 65-70cm here) produced ECTNs with nonstandard force (8-10 additional shoulder taps). The layers were more prominent here than what I've observed recently in the Banner zone, but this did not appear to translate to instability. I suspect these upper pack weak layers are a bit worse in the Sawtooths (colder, more diurnal variability, stronger gradients, etc.), but not by much.

I performed some hand pits and pole probes on solars and found some ugly MFcr+FC combos in the upper 30cm of the snowpack. These weren't problematic yet, due to the lack of overlying slab, but I think we will see some slides on these layers if next week's storm arrives as currently forecast.

I was staying on shaded slopes for most of the day so I don't have great input on how today's sun affected the snow. However, based on cold sensible temps and a lack of widespread loose snow activity I suspect we didn't do too much crust-building here today

I probed around in the alpine in a few spots and found HS generally in the 220-260cm range with some locations approaching 300cm. Solars and wind-stripped areas were in the 140-190cm range.