Perch Snow Conditions

SNOWPACK OBSERVATION Perch/Mirkwood Mammoth Lakes
Submission Info Member Saturday, March 21, 2020 - 12:30pm

Contributor

Geoff Unger

Perch/Mirkwood 37° 36' 34.11" N, 118° 58' 23.9088" W

See map: Google Maps

Snowpit Observations

More detailed information about the snowpack:

I've been trying to keep things mellow and not drive more than 10 minutes from my house to get to the skiing, which isn't hard to do around Mammoth.

Parking at the propane tanks we skimmed across the Manzanita and Sagebrush to reach the sheltered north facing trees above. The snow coverage is thing to say the least and at times there were just a few inches of snow covering the dirt. On the benches as we approached the Lower Perch snow cover was thicker going back and forth between solar/temperature crust and soft powder snow. The further up and more sheltered we got the better the snow quality got. It was refreshing to have good snow on a variety of aspects as opposed to just due north.

Lower elevations didn't get as much snow as the crest and with the light snow its possible you were feeling the old snow underneath. The upper snowpack is consolidating to be supportable so we didn't feel the bottom at all. It's tempting to let it rip right now, but please be cautious in your terrain selection and dial it back a few notches from your top speed.

Any other comments about the observation or links to outside pages that have more info on the observation:

Times are tough right now, but we still have snow. Please take care of yourselves at home and in the backcountry.

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Weather Observations

Blowing Snow:

Cloud Cover:

100% of the sky covered by clouds

Air temperature:

Below Freezing

Wind Speed:

Light

Precipitation:

Snow

Air temperature trend:

Cooling

Wind Direction:

North

Accumulation rate:

Less than 1 in. per hour

More detailed information about the weather:

At 12:30 PM at 9300 feet on a North Aspect it was -3.7 degrees C. The sky was 100% Covered by cloud, but there was also a snowy haze obscurring the clouds and the mountains. The winds were light from the north and it was snowing lightly. S-1, which is less than 1cm per hour.