Point 6

The winds have done a number on upper elevations in the Rattlesnake. Everything is wind affected and highly variable. The wind slab at upper elevations, on westerly aspects is in the scary moderate range. If it does slide, it will be hard and destructive. The best snow, with the least hazard, is found in protected areas in the trees at mid-elevation.

Isolated cracking in wind drifts.

I measured 198cm at the study plot by the beacon checker.

Anywhere exposed was heavily wind affected. Jenny bowl was scoured down to the freezing drizzle crust from mid-storm. The southwest aspect of Point 6 had a 1-foot thick pencil+ hardness windslab on it. There is extensive scouring, loading, and sastrugi down to 6000'. 

In non-wind affected areas, the drizzle crust is buried about 20cm (8") deep.

The snowpack is upside down, where the windslab sits on softer storm snow and the crust. A layer of partially faceted crystals was found on top of the crust where we dug. 

In a compression test, the column failed above the crust on isolation, but the stiffness of the windslab provides bridging, making it stubborn to skier triggering. 

Below the new snow, the snowpack is right side up and stable.