Sawtooth Avalanche Center

Public Field Report

Observation Details

Observation Date:
December 30, 2019
Submitted:
December 30, 2019
Zone or Region:
Soldier and Wood River Valley Mtns
Activity:
Skiing/Snowboarding
Location:
Lake Creek -> Triple Peak

Signs of Unstable Snow

None reported

Observations

Didn't see any glaring red flags out there today but still avoided avalanche terrain due to uncertainty with our poor snowpack right now. Good snow quality once off the ridgeline (but watch out for the sage poking through). Snow on ridgeline was wind-affected to varying degrees from the last few days, but I didn't experience cracks or whumpfing while skinning . There was widespread, newly-formed surface hoar on the ridgeline itself but I did not see it elsewhere on my tour. Hard to know the extent of it beyond what I saw firsthand today,

Media

Surface hoar on Lake Creek-Trail Creek divide at ~8000 feet
Surface hoar on Lake Creek-Trail Creek divide at ~8000 feet