Copper Mountain

A stiff, impenetrable rain crust below 7,500' thinned and disappeared by 8,000'. Late October snow near the ground is about 2-3 feet deep, with no signs of instability in snowpack tests. On W, N, and E-facing slopes, snow near the surface is weak, and surface hoar is widespread, even at the ridge top. On S and SW slopes, a thin crust broke down by early afternoon, with weak sugary snow underneath. The surface of low-angle E-facing slopes remained dry and cold above 8,700'.

HS: At 7,000'-7,500', sheltered west-facing slopes had about 50 cm of snow. Above 8,000', sheltered shady slopes held 80-120 cm, while W and SW slopes had 40-70 cm. Wind loaded slopes were ~150 cm + deep on E and NE facing slopes. 

Surface: The top 10-20 cm is predominantly SH and FC on W-N-E, with the most advanced faceting on shaded N-facing slopes. Even near 8,800' at ridge top, intact SH was widespread (see photo). On solar slopes, a thin melt-freeze crust, capped by small decomposed SH softened and became moist by 1:30 PM. Low-angle E slopes at 8,700' remained cold throughout the day.

Rain Crust: A stiff rain crust was found below 7,500', about 15 cm thick and supportable on foot (see photo). Above 7,500', the crust thinned and disappeared by 8,000'. It was found on all aspects, under 10-20 cm of FC. 

At 8,700' on N and E-facing slopes, there was ~100-120 cm of settled snow. A layer of old faceted snow near the ground, 5-10 cm thick, is moist and rounding. Stability tests showed no propagation, ECTX. The snowpack is generally right-side up above this weak layer (1F+-F at the surface). While most slopes on these aspects were wind loaded, these depths represent the most sheltered areas found.

On W and S slopes at 8,700', the snow near the ground is moist and rounded, with no Oct/Nov FC.