Quick report
- Aspect
- Southeast
- Red Flags
- Rapid Warming, Poor Snowpack Structure
- Elevation
- 2621 m
- Slope Angle
- 26°
Went for a tour in Butler Fork to look at the PWL on mid-elevation SE slopes. No cracking/collapsing was observed, and it was tough to feel this layer with pole probes along the way. We dug a pit on a SE facing slope at 8600', the height of snow was 112cm. The upper snowpack was composed of a 20cm 1F- slab overlying thin layer of graupel. An ECT resulted in ECTP12 at this interface, propagating across the whole column.
The lower half of the snowpack was composed of 4F facets that formed in the November cold dry spell, below a thin MF crust. Above this crust was a thin layer of facets (1.5 - 2mm) that went undetected in our initial layer ID. We got an ECTP30 at this interface 57 cm beneath the snow surface. This PWL might be stubborn and signs of instability are not obvious, but in many elevations this weak layer is still in the top meter of our snowpack. We continue to see propagation in test results and this PWL is not to be trusted yet.
Rime observed on trees and snow surfaces
West facing slopes stripped of snow by recent strong winds.
Snowpack
Trace of new snow. Damp snow surfaces stuck to our skins. Riding conditions are fair in areas not stripped by the winds, fast and smooth powder.