Wind Scouring, Dust on Crust, and Sluffs near Elephants Back

Location Name: 
Elephant's Back
Region: 
Carson Pass Area
Date and time of observation: 
Wed, 01/28/2015 - 12:00
Location Map: 
United States
38° 40' 55.1964" N, 119° 59' 47.922" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Observation made by: Forecaster
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

2-3 inches of light snow existed on top of frozen crusts on all aspects in the Elephant's Back area.

Photo 1: In non wind affected areas in near and below treeline terrain, some ski cuts triggered small inconsequential loose snow sluffs on steep N facing test slopes.

Photo 2: In near and below treeline terrain some isolated small wind slabs less than 6 inches in depth that extended down slope for only 1-3 ft did exist on isolated NE-E facing terrain features. Some of these small slabs would fracture under the weight of a skier but did not move very far and did not involve very much snow.

Photo 3: Snowpit tests on some other small wind loaded pockets indicated more stable results (ECTN 8 at the interface between the old crust and the new snow).

Video: Moderate NE winds in above treeline terrain scoured this 2-3 inches of snow away from the exposed N-NE-E aspects in above treeline terrain leaving the frozen surfaces exposed once again (see video).

Snowpack photos: 
Snowpit videos (tests, etc): 

NE Wind Transport on Elephants Back

Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Cloud Cover: 
Clear
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate
Air temperature trend: 
Static
Wind Direction: 
Northeast
More detailed information about the weather: 

Clear skies all day in this area.