Professional Observation

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Snow Stability

Key Points

Toured into the Lakes Basin today, interested in seeing if we could find some deeper deposits in higher elevations. With 1″ on the storm board this morning at Main Lodge, expectations were low, but ended up having a nice tour with fairly good conditions for the season.

Winds were cranking this morning over Sherwin Ridge, sustained at 45mph, though by the time we reached the top of Red Cone they were light SW with moderate gusts. No blowing snow. Thin windslabs are present at the entrances to bowls and chutes – 1 Sz. 1 natural was visible below the top of Jaws, and isolated cracking along the top of Red Cone Bowl, though nothing larger than a tabletop sized slab was able to fail due to their limited depth. While not a major factor today, the bed surface that exists underneath will likely produce avalanches when tomorrow’s 10-16″ of new snow arrives.

Skiing Hollywood Chute, Red Cone and the trees down to Horseshoe, conditions ranged from deep and consistent turns, to hot and sticky pow lower down in the trees, but in general was much better than the dust on crust conditions I was imagining. Guess winter isn’t through with us yet!