Quick report
- Aspect
- South
- Elevation
- 3048 m
- Slope Angle
- 35°
Thought I'd check out an aspect other than northerly. Layered, but very strong snow pack. Photo below is of a large section of snow pack, tipped sideways. The ice crust here was well bonded above and below, and while identifiable, the graupel layer was also unreactive. I was surprised that I had no results with Compression Tests or Extended Column Tests on either layer.
Obvious signs of previous wind, but no real signs I could see of any widespread large avalanche cycle from the past week of storms. I would guess there were numerous storm snow soft slabs and sluffs during peaks in snow intensity, now hidden beneath newer snow or wind blown snow. I was not in a place for cornice building.
Obligatory photo of surface hoar - mostly at mid and lower elevations. Luckily, it's so fragile it's normally destroyed before it gets buried. I did several quick pits on northerly facing slopes at about 7800'. I found a thick ice crust, layered, but 4 to 5" in total thickness, well bonded above and below. It may be different other places, so I'll will keep looking at this.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Could see wet loose slides from yesterday, across in Tanners. Left by 1 pm, so didn't see any new wet activity.</p> <p>Cornices, dry snow sluffs becoming larger with continued clear skies. Isolated slab avalanches still possible in steep terrain.</p>
Still excellent powder on shady, wind sheltered slopes. Sunny slopes are crusted, and there are definitely variable breakable wind crusts on many open slopes, but avoidable in sheltered places.