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Professional Observation

       

Basic Information

Observation Details

Observation Date:
February 7, 2023
Submitted:
February 7, 2023
Observer:
Geoff Unger | Key Observer
Zone or Region:
Mammoth Lakes
Location:
Mammoth Sidecountry Surface Conditions and Snowpack Observation

Signs of Unstable Snow

Recent Avalanches? 
None Observed
Cracking? 
None Experienced
Collapsing? 
None Experienced

Snow Stability

Stability Rating: 
Good
Confidence in Rating: 
High
Stability Trend: 
Steady

Key Points

Toured with AIARE Pro 1 students around Mammoth Mountain today and dipped into a few sidecountry runs to get weather and snowpack information to inform our operational decisions.  Below are key take aways supported by photos and snow profile observations.

  • Relatively cold morning temperatures are keeping surface snow conditions soft and skiable
  • Morning: Moderate wind transport was observed at ridgetop, but was not observable by the afternoon
  • Around mid day on southerly aspects there was limited surface warming at mid elevations
  • Snow profile to target the bonding between the old and new snow interface yielded hard compression test results with sudden planar fracture character
  • Failure layer was determined to be 2.0 mm decomposing and fragmented grains and no facets were found
  • Extended column test was not performed

Media

Advanced Information

Weather Summary

Cloud Cover:
Mostly Cloudy
Temperature:
1.0 degrees C
Wind:
Light , N
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