Wind Transport and Small Wind Slabs on Tamarack Peak

Location Name: 
Tamarack Peak
Region: 
Mount Rose Area
Date and time of observation: 
Mon, 02/17/2014 - 12:00
Location Map: 
United States
39° 19' 0.984" N, 119° 55' 9.7068" 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: 

Some wind transport was occurring along the ridges this morning. This wind transport added some small amounts of snow to the wind slabs that already existed on the leeward aspects in the Tamarack Peak area. Most of hte wind slabs remained small; however, in the most heavily wind loaded areas wind slabs up to 40cm (16 inches) deep did exist. Ski cuts, hand pits, and snowpit tests on test slopes where these larger wind slabs existed did not produce unstable results. In the snowpit tests the fractures that did start did not travel very far away from where they started (they did not propagate). Below the wind slabs a thin rain crust existed and firm consolidated snow existed below that crust. 

Photo 1: One of the small wind slabs above the rain crust on the Proletariat at 9600 ft. 

Photo 2: A thicker wind slab near the top of the Hourglass at 9900 ft. The only way I could get this slab to fracture was to undercut the slab then step above the track that undercut slab and jump on it. As long as the slab remained intact and supported from the bottom it was difficult to break it loose. 

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
Snowpit videos (tests, etc): 

VID 20140217 121712

Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Cloud Cover: 
Clear
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Static
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Accumulation rate: 
None
More detailed information about the weather: 

Moderate to strong SW winds along the ridges until mid day. The winds decreased in the afternoon.