Professional Observation

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Snow Stability

Key Points

• Likely one of the worst days I’ve had this season, and that saying something given that it hasn’t even snowed a foot in the year of 2022 yet. There were glimmers of hope that the sun would poke through the clouds and it did intermittently through the morning until things closed out around noon.
• I ski-cramponed  up through  bullet proof conditions on the hour glass and made my way up to 11,200feet on the San Joaquin ridge. The moist little system that passed through the area on Tuesday along with the warm day yesterday and lack of sunshine today left a hardened and glazed over snowpack.
• The northerly aspects had just a skiff of graphite like snow on the surface above the glazed surface making for truly sketchy conditions. It will likely be much better tomorrow if the sun comes out and it warms up and softens a bit. It was indeed the most hazardous skiing I’ve done this season and I was never so glad to get down to Yost meadow.
• I did not find any wind slab today, and I’m still wondering why I mentioned Loose-Wet conditions in the Bulletin this morning. The only snow I found that softened a bit was in the deep trees at 8000ft and below on the lowest angle terrain possible.
• No instabilities noted today through the hour glass and down through the Negatives, only truely harrowing and heinous conditions today, it was much better a day to make soup.