Pro Field Report

Basic Information

Observation Details

Observation Date:
April 7, 2023
Submitted:
April 7, 2023
Observer:
SAC - Scott Savage (OFF DUTY/REC DAY)
Zone or Region:
Soldier and Wood River Valley Mtns
Location:
Quigley - Patterson Peak area (5400-7400': N-NW-W-SW-S)

Signs of Unstable Snow

Recent Avalanches? 
None Observed
Cracking? 
None Experienced
Collapsing? 
None Experienced
No obvious signs of instability.

Snow Stability

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

Bottom Line

No signs of instability or significant avalanche problems here today, but that will likely change as temperatures climb in the coming days. The old wind slabs were weathered and unreactive. The newer snow on shady slopes (NW-N) above 6000' was moist but not wet (no wet loose issues). SW-S aspects, and shady aspects below 6000', were supportable corn skiing with only 1-2 inches of wet snow above a thick, hard crust. W aspects were a mix of moist newer snow and corn snow.

Advanced Information

Weather Summary

Cloud Cover:
Mostly Cloudy
Temperature:
30s to lower 40s F
Wind:
Light
New/Recent Snowfall:
No new snowfall. There was about 4" (10cm) of settled snow from the last week on N aspects from 6000-7400'.

Skies were partly cloudy to overcast from 1-4:30 PM. Cloud cover made it feel quite hot and sauna-like where there was no breeze ("green housing" phenomena). Cloud cover increased during the afternoon, and snow began falling a few hours later. There is minimal snow available for transport.

Snowpack Observations

Recreational day: no stability tests or formal snowpits. The snowpack was surprisingly supportable, even next to sage bushes.

Surfaces: N-NW aspects had about 4" (10cm) of newer snow that was moist or damp, but not wet. W aspects above 7000' were similar. The ridgetop sastrugi was moist and soft (skiable). Lower elevation W aspects, and all SW-S aspects, had an inch or 2 (2-5cm) of melt-freeze crystals (corn snow) on top of a supportable crust. The surfaces did not change appreciably from 1-4:30 PM. There were some rollerballs on N aspects on the valley floor (around 5500'), but they were small. I'm not sure if those were from today or yesterday.

Avalanche Problems

No significant problems today. Given the weekend weather forecast, wet avalanche issues could develop in this area Saturday and are likely to develop by Sunday.

Terrain Use

We skied slopes up to about 35*. We would have felt comfortable in steeper terrain but chose our route to avoid a longer, flat runout.