Observation: South Tony Grove

Observation Date

11/19/2024

Observer Name

Pagnucco

Region

Logan » Logan River » Tony Grove » South Tony Grove

Location Name or Route

Miller Bowl

Weather

Sky

Broken

Wind Direction

West

Wind Speed

Moderate

Weather Comments

I arrived to full clouds and frosty air, and a few hours later, it was partly cloudy. The winds were moving snow a bit, but I did not see any pluming. It was 14F at the car, so it was a bit chilly with the wind.

Snow Characteristics

New Snow Depth

14"

New Snow Density

Medium

Snow Surface Conditions

Powder

Snow Characteristics Comments

This is a nice shot of snow for the Logan zone. It looks like winter now, though the ground was bare a few days ago. North-facing high-elevation terrain harbors the most snow, at around 60 cm, but that number quickly gets smaller as you descend below 8400'.

The new snow has some body, is dry, and includes some graupel. Digging pits was no problem as there are no real "layers" yet. The snowpack is mostly F hardness, so stepping out of skis causes you to sink right to the ground.

Overall a nice storm for the zone with 8-14" of new snow across the range.

Red Flags

Recent Avalanches

Heavy Snowfall

Wind Loading

Cracking

Poor Snowpack Structure

Red Flags Comments

I observed one small skier-triggered sluff of storm snow on a very steep north-facing slope. It did not run very far, but it is a reminder that any ride this time of year can have unpleasant consequences, with rocks and downed trees just barely below the snow surface. The snowpack in general is very weak and I did see some cracking in upper elevation exposed terrain and lower down where the basal facets are very shallow and completely unsupportable.

Snow Profile

Aspect

North

Elevation

8,600'

Slope Angle

25°