Observtions from Little Round Top

Location Name: 
Little Round Top
Region: 
Carson Pass Area
Date and time of observation: 
Wed, 03/09/2011 - 12:00
Location Map: 
United States
38° 44' 24.0936" N, 120° 3' 8.3196" W
See map: Google Maps
US


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

Pit: Dug between Carson Pass and Little Round Top. While the layer between 65cm and 69cm looked interesting, we could not trigger it with stability tests or ski cuts on steep, wind loaded slopes. Probing elsewhere showed a similar softer layer under the March 6th warm snow event.

Pic: Winds began light SW and increased to moderate in the afternoon. Though little snow is available for transport on windward aspects due to yesterday's warm temps, there was still consistent light transport along ridgetops. Significant transport could be seen in the distance at Pyramid/Price area.

Snow quality was much better than expected on NE aspects, and didn't show signs of melt at the surface until below 8500ft. Several start zones appear to have slid previously, with 30 to 50cm of new snow covering debris.

On S aspects in the afternoon, snow surface was cooled by winds and remained in frozen state above 9200ft, soft with minimal free water from 9200 to 8400ft, and finally had free water in the top15cm below 8400ft. Limited roller ball activity on S aspects.

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Cloud Cover: 
50% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Static
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Accumulation rate: 
None
More detailed information about the weather: 

Thin, high cloud cover