Snow!

Howdy Everybody! The road crew, after a huge three day effort, plowed their way up to Paradise today! We were able to get the weather and record that 41" of new snow has fallen in the past three days, with a snow water equivalent of 2.82"...so it's drier than normal. Snow stability assessments made early this week observed a 3 to 4 foot crown fracture on southern aspects just below the Barn Flats area. Stability tests near the Canyon Rim lookout on wind ward slopes produced moderate failures about 30 to 45 cm below the surface with Q2 shears. However, these observations were made early in the week before temperatures rose considerably. While the new snow is settling, continued strong westerly winds and additional new snow are keeping the instability high. Hopefully, the road to Paradise will soon be open to the public, and for all those chomping at the bit, cautious backcountry travel is highly advised!