January 23
Silver, Days and Cardiff
Elevations, slope angles and aspects
7200-10500', angles over 35°, all aspects
Snow conditions
1-6" of dense new snow, elevation dependent, settling quickly. Above 9k old surface was a soft damp crust. Below that elevation, the new snow was being absorbed into the old rain soaked surface. Early in the day, lower elevations could be classified as "mank". Cooler temperatures in late afternoon stiffened that layering, with ski penetration closer to the surface.
Avalanche activity
Ski cutting produced one small slab in a steep rocky entry. The crown was about a foot deep, weak layer damp old facets over rocks and the slide only ran a few feet. Cuts were also producing sluffing of new snow on old soft crusts. Those ran farther on steeper angles.
Other observed activity was a skier triggered, long running sluff-slab in the Hallway
descending to the lower apron.
Daytime heating was causing snow to fall off trees and rocks at elevations below about 8500'
with some good sized rollers, the result.
Weather
Overcast skies, light "hefty bag" dense snowfall into the afternoon, partial clearing late in the day. Winds were light, gusting to around 15 mph along the ridges. Mild to moderate temperatures.
Evaluation
Variable stability dependent on both aspect and elevation. New snow instability consisting of soft slabs and sluffs should settle quickly. Rain from yesterday drained through to older snow layering. Damper snow was found about a foot deep, above a crust. Old facets in shallow rocky areas were also damp and reactive. Future instability would be within new snow layering and in shallow areas at all elevations. Currently forecast amounts of over an inch of water, rain snow line around 8k, for a day, may begin overloading older buried weak layers, especially if rain dampened.
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