Observation: Public

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Observations

Terrain: Parking was between 2200-2400ft just past the Canyon Creek Bridge. Rode in both the Excelsior and Bearpaw areas on all aspects up to 5800ft.

Avalanche: No new avalanches observed other than minor loose dry sluffing in steep rocky terrain. One large natural glide avalanche occurred sometime since 4/3 on a west aspect near 5000ft near Tomyhoi Peak.

Snowpack: 40cm (16in) of new snow was right-side-up (F-4F) and well bonded to the old snow surface. No concerning results in snowpack tests (CTM ↓40cm RP x2). Below the old/new snow interface (4/7) the snowpack was consolidated and strong with alternating layers of melt-freeze crusts and rounded grains. The Mid-January crust was still easy to identify with probing and was found ↓250-300cm in areas above 4500ft.

Weather: Light snowfall tapered off around 10 am with little additional accumulation during the day. Skies were overcast in the morning with some clearing and brief sun breaks in the afternoon. Winds were light out of the southwest.