More Options Search  SnoWest Newsletter - Dec 8  Published
online: Dec 08, 2011 White Out & Wide Open—The Blog Viewed 128
time(s)  Mother Nature's Hoar  Although we are all anxious to
get out and embrace winter with our new snowmobiles, it would be
wise if we pay close attention to the weather and more
specifically this past week of clear skies and frigid
temperatures.              While most of us merely bundled up
and watched the weather forecasts for the next storm front, we
may have missed an important signal from Mother Nature-
conditions have been optimum the creation of depth hoar.  Now,
some of you may ask what this has to do with snowmobiling. Well,
depth hoar is the main culprit behind most avalanche fatalities.
It represents that weak layer of snow that tends to persist
throughout the season just waiting for something to put enough
pressure on it to break away and create slab slides.  Basically,
this is how it forms. Early snow tends to provide an insulation
factor for the ground. When cold temperat