McGee Mtn

Posted March 24th, 2010 by joshf

Location

United States
37° 34' 16.9896" N, 118° 48' 37.5984" W
Date and time of observation: 
March 24, 2010 - 11:00am
Region: 
McGee Creek Area
Observation Type: 
Snowpack
Route: 

From Mcgee creek rd parking up NE gully, down E gully.

Red Flags: 
Obvious avalanche path
Weather Observations
More detailed information about the weather: 

Warm temps, overcast skies, calm winds except for light breeze right at ridge top.

Snowpack & Snowpit Observations
Information about the snowpack/snowpit: 

Great corn skiing at noon.  Although overcast skies blocked some of the suns radiation, the high cloud cover emmited energy back down to the snowpack.  The key factor here is that the winds were very calm and didn't play a role in keeping the snow surface cool (except for immediatly below the ridge where there was a very light breeze, and only the top 2cm were softened, even though it was a SE facing slope).  Great corn skiing from 50' below ridge to car on southeast to east to northeast aspects.  Very stable snow this morning/early afternoon.   Several snowpack observations were made:

1)10:30am  Midway up NE facing slope in the middle of gully (~9000'), 32 degrees: 75cm total depth.  Isothermal (moist snow to the ground).  Why so shallow a snow pack in the middle of the gully??  Prob. from slope avalanching mid-winter.

2)10:35am.  Near previous obs, on a ENE facing slope:30cm knife hard crust above pencil hard snow.  

3)10:50am ~9300'  Slightly north of NE facing slope.  Only top 5-10cm of snowpack moist.  80cm snowpack.

4)SE facing slope just below ridgeline (10400') 175cm snowpack.  Only top 2cm softening/wet.      

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