Point 6 East Ridge

Instabilities within the recent snow appear to be settling out and stabilizing. However, the persistent slab problem remains and is spooky because it's not producing obvious signs of instability but still appears to be able to produce large avalanches.

The recent snow above the January near surface facet layer has settled into a slab that is capable of propagating on the facets. I dug a snowpit on a thin and rocky NE aspect at 7100 ft and found a surprisingly poor snowpack structure. A 1.5 ft thick slab was easily propagating on very weak facets. I suspect that some other slopes have a stronger snowpack, but poor snowpack structure remains in some areas. The only way to find out is by digging. 

Signs of instability were stubborn and isolated today. I observed one very small whumpf on a NE aspect at 7100 ft near where I dug a pit with poor snowpack structure. Some cornices and wind drifts produced stubborn cracking; others were unreactive.

I dug a snowpit on a NE aspect at 7100 ft and found a surprisingly poor snowpack structure. A 45 cm thick slab of recent snow was resting on very weak, 2-3 mm facets. It produced unstable results in extended column tests, propagating on the 11th tap in one test and the 12th in another. This was a noticeably thin and rocky spot, which is why I decided to dig there. The slab was still surprisingly thin - my guess is that it was eroded by an east wind event last week. 

I observed some small surface hoar growth in some areas that could get buried tonight.