Observations from Carson Pass

Location Name: 
Carson Pass/Elephant's Back
Region: 
Carson Pass Area
Date and time of observation: 
Thu, 12/16/2010 - 10:45
Location Map: 
United States
38° 40' 52.32" N, 119° 59' 0.96" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Observation made by: Professional Observer
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

pit: HS>300cm. Not enough angular grains at 85cm to call it NCF. Hard, Q2 deep tap failures at 85cm. PSTs show propagation unlikely.

pic 1: Surface hoar observed on most aspects at and below treeline, even in heavy tree cover. Surface hoar remained mid-day on all but the most direct solar aspects. Very distinct ~5cm thick layer of NSFs observed underneath surface hoar.

pic 2: Above treeline, wind slabs ranged from breakable crust to supportable slab, with no shooting cracks or collapse observed.

pic 3: Underside of wind crust shows 1mm NCFs (not observed in pit).

 

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
Clear
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Light
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Static
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Accumulation rate: 
None
More detailed information about the weather: 

Valley fog observed through mid-morning from Grass Lake to Hope Valley and Blue Lakes Rd