We did have a couple of notable trail closures this afternoon. We closed the Pallavicini and North Glade Gates. Our Snow Safety Team has been busy digs holes in the snowpack, monitoring instrumentation in the snowpack and generally keeping a very close eye on the steep terrain. What they have found is a lot of water moving through the snow. When this water hits loose, faceted snow near the ground, snow structure weakens and we can see avalanche problems. That is just about to happen on the North Side of the mountain. So....we closed these areas.
At the snow surface level, this can be deceiving. Today the top of the snow was firm, but you did not have to dig very deep to find plenty of loose, wet and unconsolidated snow. The actual snow surface, whether firm or soft, has very little to do with our decision. The concern lies in the areas not readily visible.
So is this closure forever? If we get sustained freezing temperatures and the snowpack "locks up" again, yes, we can re-open these zones.
Pali Lift remains open.
