Quick report
- Aspect
- North
- Red Flags
- Heavy Snowfall
- Elevation
- 2957 m
- Slope Angle
- 25°
Quick snowpit on a north facing slope at 9,700' in elevation. The total height of snow was 7' (225cm). There was 18" of settled snow with 2 distinct melt-freeze crusts. The lower on (bottom of photo) was most likely the one that formed on March 2nd and had the dirt layer that was previously identified as having some facets around it. Int his location I got no propagation with an extended column test, and on the upper melt-freeze crust ( clean one) I was able to get a shovel shear under the crust (174cm from the ground) with a lot of force.
On southerly facing terrain where I traveled today, the new snow had bonded well to the old snow surface, I didn't see any density changes within the newest snow as the day went on and light wind loading where I traveled. In March, the trick is to get to the new snow before the sun does and the clouds and light snow helped to preserve the snow surface in terrain where I traveled today.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Earlier in the morning, I noticed shallow soft slab avalanches running on a density change within the newest snow. This seemed to settle out as the day went on, and you really needed steeper terrain greater than 35° to get anything to move in the new snow. I would guess in higher elevation more wind-affected terrain that the new snow would be more reactive. </p> <p>I noticed shallow soft wind drifts and small cornices on east-northeast aspects. </p>
18" of settled snow depth that took some heat on south and east facing aspects after 2PM. There was a slight melt-freeze crust on these aspects later in the afternoon. I never felt any direct green-housing, but there was some warming. Light snow fell during the day.