Professional Observation

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Snow Stability

Key Points

• I hadn’t been up the Bishop creek drainage in a while and I think I’ve been the only forecaster to venture up there this season and there is a reason why…especially now. There is little to no snow left. The roads behind the gates both at SF and NF are getting pretty burned out. I  had to walk most of the first mile behind the gate up the SF. Then there was fairly consistent snow, but not for long.
• It was 54degF @ 8800ft @ noon and getting hotter. Dead calm.
• Pretty much pointless day as there is little to no skiing up Bishop creek. There is raised skin tracks from December on the bottom of Bardini Canyon/Table mountain and overall snow surfaces looked horrendous.
• I imagine if you put in the 20 miles round trip or so to get to the crest above south lake reservoir there is skiing, but that is not a sustainable day when your doing it 5 days of the week.
• 20-50cm average snow totals in the bishop creek with most solar aspects completely devoid of snow coverage any longer.
• Bardini canyon looked terrible and Jawbone canyon on the NF side had no snow left in the bottom apron hitting the highway. The access to Bishop bowl is likewise pretty much gone. All being said this zone is well off the menu for me.
• No instabilities what so ever. Perhaps a little loose wet on remanent cross loaded SE gullies. I guess we’re forecasting for rockfall now, so you’d probably encounter that as well in confined heating terrain.
• The buttermilks don’t look much better, but there is some lines still filled in, The SE trench on Basin mountain has a continuous ribbon and the SE bowl on Mt Locke has adequate coverage.
• The south side of Mt Tom is pretty well gone and access is lengthy and convoluted.