Avalanches: Got a brief window of vis into the southern Ruby Range. Observed a number of loose dry avalanches that look like they ran mid-storm, and one natural small soft slab (~20 feet wide, <12″ deep) on a NE aspect ATL.  SS-N-R1-D1-I
Weather:
Snowpack: About 8-10″ of settled storm snow, not showing signs of slabbiness except in most heavily wind affected areas, where we observed minor cracking in the new snow.

Avalanches: NE Aspect above tree line: SS-AS-R1-D1 on >35 degree convexity. Slab was 2 inches deep and didn’t have force to knock a person down.
Weather: Overcast and light winds for most part with pockets of sun. One 15 minute period of S1 snow produced 1cm of snow in skin track a the top of the rollers. That same time period produced winds that transported snow along the surface NTL, but not enough to create new wind slabs or change avalanche hazard.
Snowpack: NE: BTL/NTL up to 8 inches of new snow (48 hours)
NE: ATL: 12 inches of snow (48 hours)
SW: 5 inches of snow with sun crust below (48 hours)

Avalanches: Intentionally triggered a soft wind slab on a test slope on the way up. R1 D1 that appeared to break on top of the new snow from yesterday and the day prior. Crown was approximately 1-1.5 feet and 30 feet wide. This was on a E aspect below treeline.
Another intentional trigger near treeline, also soft wind slab R1D1. Similar crown statistics but maybe 10-15 feet wider. This slide was on a steeper more continuous slope and the slide broke upon a suncrust (or the very solid surface of the Xmas slab). Seemed like a pretty classic example of how new snowfall may not affect avy danger but as soon as the wind picked up avalanches became more likely.
Weather: Cold in the morning (5F at th) with light snow. Ruby Range socked in all day. Local winds appeared to be out of the SW in some areas despite NW flow aloft. Moderate wind loading witnessed with lee typically E-SE aspects.
Snowpack: Returned to area skied yesterday and snow surface was more cohesive. Two inches of new snow but definite wind affect in isolated areas from the previous night.

IMG_1878

Avalanches:
Weather:
Snowpack: Sluffy, lumpy then rotty

Avalanches: On slope between 35 and 40 degrees with shallow snow as evidenced by willows and bedrock, triggered 1 L-AS-D1-R2 slide, which traveled for 30 feet. Tested other slopes and areas off skin track and didn’t observe cracking, whumping, or collapsing.
Weather: Overcast skys with intermittent periods of S-1. Calm
Snowpack: Up to 10 cm of recent snow within 36 hours. Snow was wetter relative to snow found on Anthracite Mesa on 1/7/16.

Avalanches: None.
Weather: See profile. Calm wind and light snowfall with periods of no precipitation.
Snowpack: See profile.

Jan.-8-Snodgrass

Avalanches:
Weather: Broken to Overcast skies, Light intermittent snow, picking up in intensity around 1400, cold temperatures 4F @ 9:00am, and calm winds.
Snowpack: 10cm HST and lightly snowing intermittently S1-2 throughout the day. Loose, low density new snow, not bonding well to old surface and sluffing in terrain >35* with ski cuts. Previously avalanched slopes continue to refill back in, and are becoming harder to identify, but still lack any slab structure. Slopes with a persistent slab still present, are rapidly losing strength, and showing less potential for propagation.

Avalanches:
Weather: Cool temps, goose feathers most the morning, light accumulations, afternoon saw predicted pulse of moisture, 3” of additional very low density snow, heavy at times with low visibility. Only wind was very highest ridgelines, but SW winds were just strong enough to be transporting snow into 4F windslabs 6-12” deep in lee and x-loaded terrain like upper PH left entrance, etc.
Snowpack: 10” new snow as of 1600. Light density, 4% in morning, 3% in afternoon!! Marginal bonding with easterly and southerly suncrusts, stubbornly sluffed if terrain was steep enough (35º+). Not significant enough accumulation to change stability, Irwin remains at LOW danger, but stability due to sluffing decreased slightly. With such fluffy snow, expect high settlement rates over next 36hrs. Vis in afternoon allowed limited visibility to Ruby, widespread new snow sluffing.