Route
Magnum ridge (lower) to Sunburst ridge
Weather
Overcast
Winds light to moderate out of the East, gusts to 25mph
Occasional plumes off of ridge lines and peaks
No precip
Temps in the high 20s to low 30sF
Obvious Signs Of Instability
Recent Avalanches-NO
Shooting Cracks-some, very small around skis (see photo)
Collapsing-NO
Surface Conditions
Winds over the past several days have created variability within the surface
snow. Surfaces range from 2-4” of settled powder (in sheltered areas) to 6”
stiff (1F hardness) wind slabs in the upper elevations.
Snow depths are still very shallow in the lower elevations, avg. depth 4”/10cm
We were able to trigger a very shallow 2-3” slab on a steep rollover around
2,400’. We observed a similar slab that had released naturally in a cross
loaded gully on the North side of Sunburst. Neither of these had enough volume
to cause concern.
Slab depths in the higher elevation starting zones were 6” max depth and
un-reactive to ski cuts.
Snow below the surface
We continue to see good consistency from pit to pit across the forecast area.
The setup of newer snow (slab) sitting on the Nov 18th crust is common between
1,500-3,500’. The bonding between this slab and the underlying crust has proven
to be very good. Time and mild temps have helped to strengthen this bond further.
See pit photo and profile photo for further info.
2" wind slab released naturally in this cross loaded gully on the North side of Sunburst. Heather Thamm photo
Cracking around skis was observed in a few spots today in freshly wind affected snow. Heather Thamm photo
We have seen consistent results in pits around the forecast area-a slab that is well bonded to a crust between 1,500-3,500' in elevation
Pit profile- lower Magnum ridge at 2,480'