Icy conditions on Red Lake Peak

Location Name: 
Red Lake Peak
Region: 
Carson Pass Area
Date and time of observation: 
Wed, 12/23/2015 - 11:00
Location Map: 
United States
38° 42' 2.1384" N, 119° 59' 24.9252" W
See map: Google Maps
US


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

Very icy conditions at Carson Pass today. We abandoned plans to ski Red Lake Peak to Hope Valley, unable to find enough continuous edgeable windblown snow for safe descending. Another party reported that ice was consistent all the way to Little Round Top.

Snowpit: No signs of instability in this profile, nor via other obs in this area. New surface crust is quite strong, though may be worth monitoring in the future - both for new snow bonding and potential for PWL formation.

Pic 1: Thin saw required for cutting through surface crust, and still required effort. Note the trace of new snow and graupel on the surface and being blown by winds.

Pic 2: Windblown snow/graupel accumulating on stationary objects but being scoured from surface crust where there was nothing to anchor it, resulting in patchy accumulation patterns.

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Cloud Cover: 
25% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Static
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Accumulation rate: 
None