Professional Observation

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Snow Stability

Key Points

-Went on a search to see if any early season faceted snow could be found at the base of the snowpack in the higher elevations of Earthquake Dome.  Answer: none, not even at the top on shaded aspects at 9,300′.

Very right-side-up stable snowpack on Earthquake Dome (Dec 21, 2021)

-Zero signs of instability currently.

-Top of snowpack seems to be faceting slightly, which steep temperature gradient supports.  Crystals appear to be mostly decomposing precipitation particles still, but hints of straight edges and angles could possibly be made out.  The skiing quality definitely supports this as well! :-)  This surface faceting is the biggest future stability concern here with a lot of snow coming in the near future, which could make the new snow slide easier on top.

-2-3ft total snow depth throughout.

*Surprisingly supportable snow, couldn’t be more perfect for early season in terms of obstacle avoidance and ski quality.