North Routt: Little Agnes
- Posted on
Avalanche Danger
Persistent Slab NTL & ATL possible. Small to Large
Continued snowfall will steadily increase the avalanche danger. Small slabs are building in wind-drifted areas and will become more hazardous as storm totals crest into the double digits. Use extra caution on slopes steeper than around 35 degrees, where you find more than 8 inches of new or drifted snow. The old snow surfaces are weak and may not bond well to the fresh snow. North to east-facing slopes at higher elevations are the most likely places to find new drifted slabs and trigger an avalanche, but even open slopes below treeline could be dangerous. Look for shooting cracks or collapses in the snowpack as an indication of unstable conditions.
Ski Partners
Route
Snomo to the base of the Beaver Patch and skin to the summit ridge of Little Agnes. Skied one run off the West Ridge and back to the sleds via the Beaver Patch.
Weather
A bit nasty out there today. Windy and snowing with dense fog resulting in very little visibility, and temps hovering just below freezing for most of the day.
HSN24
6"
HSN48
6"
Precip
S1-S2
Sky
Obscured / fog
Winds
Light to Mod W/SW
Temps
Upper twenties in AM rising to freezing level by 1pm
Ski Pen
5"
Foot Pen
12"
Snowpack Observations
Shallow and weak
Most slopes are still thin no matter where you are. With a thin snowpack and plenty of clear weather, most slopes are not only thin but super weak as well. Below treeline, most supportable slabs have eroded away, leaving only a large pile of facets. Higher up in terrain, mid-pack slabs are still present but have lost most of their strength and ability to communicate a fracture. At the highest elevations, ravaging winds have either scoured the mountain back to bare rock or have formed a knife hard slab over whatever weak snow was left on the ground.
