January 10

Alta Guard station, eyebrow right, Cardiac ridge, Cardiac bowl, High Ivory, upper east Mineral

Elevations, slope angles and aspects

6800-11k, angles approaching 40°, all aspects

Snow conditions

Overnight clear skies and cool temperatures dried the 8-12" storm snow as well as promoting bonding. Northerly wind was creating new, mostly shallow wind drifts.

windloading

Those were quite sensitive, a good thing, as management was a simple ski cut.

ridge-sluff

Also visible, is an old deep crown from the "Merry Christmas" avalanche cycle.

Drifting was more pronounced in some areas, especially upper Mineral fork.

santiagos

Avalanche activity observed was limited to a release or two of those shallow drifts, running as sluffs.

Weather

Partly cloudy in the morning, with increasing clouds as the day progressed. Winds from the north gusting to around 20 mph, both on the ridges and lower in the drainages. Moderate temperatures.

Evaluation

Snow was for the most part well behaved and stable. Continued instability from the recently formed, new snow drifts would be expected. The deep slab issue lingers in some unknown, isolated locations. Current weather guess is for increasing wind, which may expand and promote instabilitiy in both the new snow and older buried weak layering.

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