Observations from Slab Cliffs

Location Name: 
Slab Cliffs
Region: 
Mount Rose Area
Date and time of observation: 
Wed, 01/31/2018 - 11:00
Location Map: 
United States
39° 18' 2.0448" N, 119° 57' 8.5248" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Obvious avalanche path
Observation made by: Forecaster
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

No signs of persistent slab instability were observed while touring the Slab Cliffs and Ginny Lake areas today. A snowpit dug in the upper portion of Slab Cliffs (noted lat/long) showed significant rounding of what was previously faceted snow. Neither stability tests in the snowpit nor informal observations gave any indication of current instability.

A second test pit dug low in the Slab Cliffs area (39.306335, -119.955388, N aspect at 9,030') revealed a prominent rain crust approx 35 cm below the snow surface with faceted snow above and below it. ECTN test results were observed on the top of the faceted snow above this crust and no failure below it. Informal observations in this same areas revealed no signs of instability.

Signs of wet snow instability on solar aspects was minimal with very minor loose wet signs on a SE aspect test slope at 9,640 at 1:40 pm (photo). Exiting from Incline Lake Peak on a SE aspect at 8,600' around 2:15 pm revealed shallow wet surface snow that was already in the process of refreezing.

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
50% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
West