North Routt: Little Agnes
- Posted on January 23, 2021
Avalanche Danger
Persistent Slabs likely on all aspects and elevations. Small to large
Over a foot of snow in favored areas has increased the avalanche danger. You can trigger an avalanche that fails beneath the new snow or into weak layers buried deeper in the snowpack. Terrain below ridges or the backside of steep rollovers where the wind has drifted thicker, more cohesive slabs are the most dangerous. Use caution on any slope steeper than around 30 degrees with more than 10 inches of new or drifted snow. Shooting cracks or loud collapses are clear signs of hazardous conditions.
Ski Partners
Route
Snomo to the base of the Beaver Patch, skin to the summit ridge of Little Agnes, and skied a couple runs off the West Ridge before returning to the sleds via the Beaver Patch.
Weather
Windy, snowy, and foggy for most of the day. Lots of wind transport and over a foot of storm snow over the past 48 hrs.
HSN24
6"
HSN48
12"
Precip
S2
Sky
Obscured / fog
Winds
Mod to Strong W/SW
Temps
Mid 20's
Ski Pen
6-8"
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.
