Quick report
Dug around in the snow as part of the Patrol Funds level 2 Avy Course on hellroaring peak. We dug two pits on a South aspect at approx 6400’. Total snow depth was 165cm, multiple small crusts throughout snowpack. A thick pencil hard crust was noted through the bottom 35cm or so of the pit. One of the southerly pits had a ECTP28, down 37cm. Interestingly, the other pit approx 10 meters away on the same aspect at the same elevation had ECTX. We also dug one pit on a northerly slope at 6500’ and noted one thin crust approximately 39cm and a thicker crust a bit below that. In that pit we got a CT24, down 39. A PST didn’t break until almost entirely through the column, but we were then able to then get a clean break with a shovel shear. The slab broke, however it didn’t slide off the isolated column. Takeaways: Southerly aspects seem to have more crusts but not apparent slab. Variations exist even across similar aspects and elevations. Northerly aspects may have better skiing but there is a persistent slab that is likely low probability of triggering but could have high consequence if it does.