Snowpit and test slope failure on Hidden Peak

Submitted by brandon on Wed, 04/21/2010 - 12:41pm
Location Name: 
Hidden Peak
Region: 
West Shore Area

Location

United States
38° 58' 45.822" N, 120° 7' 42.3012" W
See map: Google Maps
Position: 
Forecaster
Date and time of observation: 
Wed, 04/21/2010 - 11:30am
Red Flags: 
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Snowpit Observations
Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Unstable slabs remained in the most wind affected areas. In less wind affected areas, skier triggered sluffs occurred in very steep areas.

Photos 1 and 2: Test slope slab failure 20cm deep on lower density new snow near the base of the storm snow. Test slope along summit ridge at 8,990', 077 deg aspect, 35 to 50 deg slope angle.

Photo 3: A very shallow slab failure occurred below treeline at 7,500' on a steep convex feature. Not a real instability concern due to size and depth.

Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Wind Speed: 
Light
Wind Direction: 
West
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Cloud Cover: 
100% of the sky covered by clouds
Precipitation: 
Snow
Accumulation rate: 
Less than 1 in. per hour