Utah Avalanche Center

Snow at 9400', North facing was 30cm with 2 breakable crusts and a basal ice layer that was starting to facet. Poor structure where there was snow above 9400' shady aspects. Stability was only fair because there was no real slab to speak of.

Melting snow noted up to 9200' with a rising freezing line. Ice pellets falling from the sky around 9200' and rimed crystals above that level. Temperatures in the snowpit were isothermic at 0°c.

Melting snow noted up to 9200' with a rising freezing line. Ice pellets falling from the sky around 9200' and rimed crystals above that level. Temperatures were isothermic at 0°c.

Snowpit dug after 3 days of no refreeze. Temperatures only started to drop at 0400 and were steadily plummeting. Precipitation started out and maintained freezing rain during tour. Very little accumulation. Supportable travel surface on W-S-E facing. N facing terrain was breakable crust.

Pit on a South-south east aspect 174 degrees. Trying to mimic crown from Grizzly Cup avalanche from April 7, 2023. 2 dirt layers ( 120cm and 225cm) Melt freeze crusts around the 225cm dirt layer and decomposing stellar crystals under the 120cm dirt layer. Best guess is that one of the melt freeze crusts with a layer of facets above it was the original failure plane for the avalanche which was triggered remotely from an air blast that was 2000' away (Emma 4).

Thin crust 10" below the surface from warmup the other day. This crust had small grained facets underneath the crust and broken stellars above the crust. The new snow was bonding well to the crust. In this location there was no melt-freeze crust associated with the dirt layer.

Alta hit 800" for the season today! Dirt layer above facet/crust combo. New snow density changes will settle out. ECTPV 60cm from surface.

Nearly identical layers nearby in an E facing pit at 7640'. Got an ECTP27 in that location at 90 cm down from the surface.