Observations from Stevens Peak

Location Name: 
Stevens Peak
Region: 
Carson Pass Area
Date and time of observation: 
Sat, 02/18/2017 - 12:30
Location Map: 
United States
38° 43' 59.9556" N, 119° 58' 23.07" W
See map: Google Maps
US


Red Flags: 
Recent avalanche activity
Whumphing noises, shooting cracks, or collapsing
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Rapid warming
Observation made by: Professional Observer
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Strong winds, blowing snow, skier triggered storms slabs on north facing slopes, and warming conditions on sunny slopes near Stevens Peak. 

Upper east facing slopes of the Stevens bowl were fairly wind scoured with large patches of rime ice present on the ridge and upper reaches of slope. Soft snow remained in lower trees. At lowest elevations in early afternoon these east facing slopes were wet and the skiing was challenging. 

Upper elevation (9400 feet) north facing slopes displayed evidence of wind slab but were only minimally reactive. At upper elevataions above treeline many hand pits in somewhat cohesive snow produced unimpressive results. At slighly lower evelation near treeline (around 8800 feet) north facing slopes were far more responsive to ski cuts. 

Photo 1: Small natural avalanche on east facing cross loaded slope. The small debris in the center left portion of the photo is from a small recent natural slide (presumably during the last 24 hours). The larger debris in lower right is older, possibly a week old. This is a frequent performer slope. Map pin dropped at this location. 

Photo 2: Unlucky tree trying to grow in the slide path from photo 1. 

Snowpack photos: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Cloud Cover: 
75% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate
Precipitation: 
Snow
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Accumulation rate: 
Less than 1 in. per hour
More detailed information about the weather: