March 29
White Pine
Elevations, slope angles and aspects
7500-11200'. angles over 35°, all aspects except south facing.
Snow conditions
There was about a foot of settled, recent snow.
Much of the upper elevation had been exposed to wind from several directions with scouring and drifting, aspect dependent.
Red Baldy was wind pack powder.
Lake peak drifted on east facing with the ridge and west facing scoured to the January rain crust and rock.
Dense settled snow in sheltered areas.
Scattered hoar frost was observed in mid elevation shady.
Weather
Clear and sunny in the am, increasing high clouds accompanied by wind from the southwest, gusting over 20 mph, in the afternoon. Moderate temperatures.
Avalanche activity
One large slide into old snow layering on Timpanogos(Timpanogos basin) was viewed from Red Baldy.
Looks like a wind drift on the hanging snow field above the rock band released, triggering a deep slab below.
There were a few small, shallow wind drift slides in east facing Boulder basin and on Lake peak.
Evaluation
Good stability in the area, decreasing as the wind picked up.
Wind drifting on lee aspects, crossloading on other aspects continues to be the instability issue.
Some drifts may initiate slides into older weak layering.
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