Professional Observation

Observation Details

Signs of Unstable Snow

Found isolated surface instabilities near wind lips where wind deposited snow had collected. Solstice Rain Crust was found 115 cm down at 8,700 ft on an ENE aspect. We got moderate failures (Compression Test) on numerous density changes in the upper 2 feet of the snowpack but SRC seemed well bonded.

Snow Stability

Bottom Line

Over Tuesday night/Wednesday morning (Jan 12th, 13th), the Southern Wallowas received 44 cm (nearly a foot and a half) of new snow near treeline at 7,000 feet. This storm started as snow and ended as rain or wintery mix at nearly all elevations. The storm ended with a rapid decrease in temperature as strong winds from the NW brought in clear skies. On Saturday the 16th, we observed surface crusts up to about 9,050 ft (high limit of our observation), from a combination of upside-down precip and high winds. Underneath this surface crust we generally found lighter snow, making for breakable crust on most aspects. We observed numerous natural avalanches that likely slid on the morning of 1/13. While we saw many natural avalanches, our general impression was a stiff and stable alpine zone, an exception being isolated windslabs in loaded concavities. Unfavorable skiing and riding conditons currently exist at all elevations - risk of athletic injuries notable.