Weak snow on Fireplug

Location Name: 
Tamarack peak/fireplug
Region: 
Mount Rose Area
Observation Date & Time: 
Thursday, December 2, 2021 - 12:09
Location: 
39.326435, -119.908470
See map: CalTopo
Is this an Avalanche Observation?: 
No


Conditions Alerts:

  • Persistent Problem

Terrain Alerts: 
Slopes Steeper than 30 degrees
Obvious Slide Path
Observation made by: Public

Tabs

Observation
Description of Snow, Weather, and Avalanche Conditions: 

Took a short hike to look at snow cover on the steep N-NE aspects of Fireplug.  30-60cms of snow in this area above 8500'.  I dug two quick test pits at 8600' and found a similar snowpack structure to other high elevation N terrain in the region, with faceting observed throughout the top 30cms of the snowpack.  Compression tests showed sudden collapse failures on the facet layers below both crusts within the snowpack.  

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Hide Snowpack Details
Total Snow Depth: 
40cm
Persistent Weak Layers: 
On the surface
Buried
Hide Terrain Details
Terrain: elevations: 
Near Treeline
Below Treeline
Terrain: aspects: 
N
NE
Hide Weather Details
Elevation of Observation: 
8000 - 9000 ft.
Blowing Snow: 
None
Wind Speed: 
Calm
Sky Cover: 
Clear
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
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