Observation type
Snowpack
Observer
Hans Ludwig 
Keep me anonymous if published
no
Location (general area)
Mt Baldy Ski Lifts 
Latitude
34.274050
Longitude
-117.610259 
Date (yyyymmdd)
2016 
Time
18:00
Road conditions to area
Snowy
Temperature
25° F (-4° C)
Sky
Obscured (fog or base layer prevents view of sky)
Wind speed
Moderate (17-25mph Small trees sway/ flags stretched)
Wind direction
W
Wind direction in degrees
Slope aspect
not observed
Aspect in degrees
Slope angle
Elevation
7800' (2,377 m)
Snow depth
2–4" (5–10 cm)
Boot/ Ski penetration
Boot 2" (BF 5 cm)
Precipitation
medium
Precipitation
heavy
Activity, recent avalanches
No 
Brief description
Whumphing noises, shooting cracks. collapsing
no
Rapid warming
no
Obvious avalanche path
yes
Terrain trap
yes
Comment
I was at the resort near The Notch all day, 7,800'. It was sunny and just above freezing until noon. Patchy remnants of last weeks snow were still visible on northerly aspects. They were hard and slippery.
Snow started falling at 13:09 (wet, hard gaupel). We got an inch or two over the next two hours (very heavy precip). A wind event followed which created small snow drifts and redistributed the graupel. The trees had been lightly rimed.
By 18:00 a few inches of cold, fluffy snow had come down over the graupel which could be made into snowballs (moist snow).
At the bottom of the lift (6,800') the snow was very wet. Temps were around 30° (-1 C). Not until Icehouse Canyon did the temps rise above freezing. Snow fell until the village where it turned to drizzle, however some cars where covered in sleet/frost.
 
Our first weak layer of the season!
File description
Coming down hard! We had trouble keeping the loading zone clean for a few hours.
 
Publish this observation
Yes I would like this observation Published