Quick report
- Aspect
- East
- Red Flags
- Wind Loading, Cracking, Collapsing, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 3109 m
- Slope Angle
- 22°
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>Still able to get collapsing and cracking in the snowpack. Lots of weak snow in the bottom portion of the pack.</p>
Collapsed this east facing slope walking out to dig a pit. The facets were very weak and loose on this aspect and our pits tests failed with relative ease and with clean shears.
East facing ECT failed on these facets.
Pit on west facing slope.
Test took some effort to get results but failed with Q1 quality shear. The extended column shot off it's bed surface into the pit upon failure.
The snow surface is weakening with surface and near surface facets observed at all elevations.
Photo #1: surface hoar at low elevation valley bottom.
Photo #2: surface facets at 10,200ft.
Traveled from 7400-10,200, north half of the compass. I would continue to call the danger considerable on upper elevation slopes on the north half of the compass.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>The weak faceted snow formed earlier in the season continues to be the problem child.</p>
Surface hoar on low elevation shady slopes. Near surface and surface facets on mid and upper elevation slopes as well.
Wind exposed terrain was a mix of supportable and breakable crusts, mostly breakable.
Some solar affect noted on lower elevation slopes making the snow surface slightly damp.