Observations from Echo Lakes area

Submitted by travis on Fri, 04/23/2010 - 3:16pm
Location Name: 
Talking Mountain
Region: 
Echo Summit Area

Location

United States
38° 49' 58.1556" N, 120° 4' 8.634" W
See map: Google Maps
Position: 
Professional Observer
Date and time of observation: 
Fri, 04/23/2010 - 10:00am
Red Flags: 
Recent avalanche activity
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Rapid warming
Snowpit Observations
Snowpack photos: 
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Pic #1 and 2: Last night's wet precip, followed by warm humidity, followed by cold, clear early morning formed widespread surface crusts and surface hoar. Heat and sun destroyed both quickly, except crusts in shaded aspects (more developed in lower elevations).

Pic #3: This wind loaded NE aspect just shy of Becker Peak's summit was protected from N NE winds and remained loaded, and heated enough by 9am to result in skier triggered roller balls, but no cracking or slab formation.

Pic #4: N aspect of Talking Mountain was scoured by N NE winds, all the way down to old melt freeze forms. Looking N, Ralston, Pyramid, etc appeared similarly scoured. Some slab deposits on S aspects, but only high on ridge - just below ridge on S aspects slabs were very thin and no concern.

I skied N facing trees of Talking down to Upper Echo, ski cutting hard on steep convex rolls in the trees with no results. Surface crust evident from the summit, but didn't really interfere with skiing til lower elevations.

Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Wind Speed: 
Light
Wind Direction: 
North
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Cloud Cover: 
Clear
Precipitation: 
None
Accumulation rate: 
None

Thank you to the SAC Board, to Andy and Brandon, and to all my partners - esp David Reichel - who were patient with me as I dug around in the snow this winter!