Smugglers Notch

Quick report

Skied on the western side of Spruce Peak on Sunday 2/23. The snowpack has a very variable depth throughout this area. At a higher elevation we dug a pit and found a depth of 210 cm. In our pit we observed the top 120 cm of the snowpack, which was almost entirely wind slab except for a bit of new snow. We received a result of CTM Q2 @120cm. We felt pretty comfortable skiing our line and didn't observe any other signs of instability in that area. The new snow from the recent storm feels pretty well bonded. Later in the day we saw old avalanche debris in the playground area. In many places in the notch, there is a layer of facets at the bottom of the snowpack. If these facets receive more loading, it is definitely cause for concern that more connected terrain that could propagate persistent slabs.